


Transcending Realms

by MoonlitRamblings



Series: Haunted By Another World [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F, FTL Emma, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, completely nonmagical Regina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2015-09-09
Packaged: 2018-04-17 17:23:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4675094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitRamblings/pseuds/MoonlitRamblings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. One night while Mayor Regina is working late, FTL warrior Emma, who just learned she has magic, appears. Regina isn’t sure what to make of the strange woman who keeps appearing to her like a ghost nor does Emma know what to make of this strange other world, but both are fascinated. As the women grow closer, will Emma decide to join Regina? Can she even find a way to her world?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Appearance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mysweetcupoftea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysweetcupoftea/gifts), [Lrbcn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lrbcn/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Transcending Realms (Fanart)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4682996) by [mysweetcupoftea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysweetcupoftea/pseuds/mysweetcupoftea). 



> When you already have a billion story ideas and an in-progess that you need to finish (oh, say, six months ago) and are taking three online classes over the summer, its very important that you also write a story for the SQBB. On the up side, I did finish off one of my story ideas that's been lying around. On the other hand, over the summer I've gotten about 10 more solid story ideas so its basically an impossible uphill battle. Hope it was worth it ;)

Regina sighed, rubbing her forehead, as she stared blindly at the paperwork spread out over her desk. She couldn’t wait for this project, digitizing as much of city hall’s files as they could, to be over. She’d thought putting off the project until Henry was in “big boy” school and she could work more normal hours would help make it less overwhelming.

Technically, she reminded herself, it had. She wouldn’t have been able to put in the work hours she currently was if she still had to pick him up from daycare at noon and work from home while watching him, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t ended up overworking herself.

She knew municipal projects tended to move along at a snail’s pace and yet it had been almost two years. At least it was time for heavy lifting—actually doing the work—instead of meetings and compromises and talking various city council members around to the idea. However, that did mean she was only just wrapping up this week’s work at 11:00 on a Friday night.

To put it frankly: she needed a drink.

Regina stiffened ever so slightly, it was almost as though a breeze had shifted through the room or a faint sound had been made in the distance and yet she knew it wasn’t either of those things. She looked up wearily, expecting to be able to dismiss whatever she thought she sensed and have some cider, only to find a blonde woman standing by her couch.

She stared blankly at the woman who had clearly not entered through the still mostly shut study door, which was only open enough to allow her to hear if Henry needed her, and who appeared to be looking around her study with interest.

Regina glanced around her desk, making sure she hadn’t already started drinking, although she hadn’t drunk enough to start hallucinating ever, especially since she’d gotten her son. Her empty coffee mug was the only thing there.

Her brown eyes went back to the blonde, meeting green eyes as the woman had moved on to studying her curiously. She supposed she should be doing something. Yelling. Backing away. Demanding answers. But it had been such a long day and this was just not possible so she decided, numb with shock, to see if ignoring the problem would work for the first time in history because she refused to deal with this.

“Hello,” the apparition said.

Correction, she was not dealing with this without a stiff drink of cider. Regina held up a finger, as if it was a citizen who wanted to interrupt at a town hall meeting. She walked over to her drink cart and began to pour. She felt the strange woman’s gaze roam up her legs, her back, before wandering back down to somewhere around her ass. She took a gulp that was a tad less ladylike than she’d meant for it to be before turning around once more.

“I see you’re still here.”

“Yup.”

“Right.”

“So…” the woman began, clearly unsure about what to do, but feeling like she should do something. “I figured you’d yell more or something. I mean, I did suddenly appear in…here. Or do strange women normally appear near you?”

“No, they don’t,” Regina answered, before putting her glass down and striding over to the other woman. Before she could do anything, Regina had thrust her hand through the other woman’s stomach. She pulled it back just as quickly and took a step back, staring down at her own hand. “Right. This is just great. Hallucinations.”

“Pretty sure I’m not a hallucination,” the hallucination commented, rather amused by the reaction.

“Well, how would you know?” Regina said offhand as she went to refill her glass.

The other woman ignored the rhetorical question and looked at the glass with some longing, able to tell it was very high quality alcohol. Regina noticed her stare, “I would offer you some, of course, but I’m afraid it would go right through you.” She gave a slight smirk while the blonde rolled her eyes. “If you’re not a hallucination, are you a ghost then?”

“Nope,” the woman popped the ‘p’ at the end of the word, a casual smile still on her face as she continued to look at Regina with interest. “Are ghosts a thing that just show up here? Cuz I think you normally have to summon them and stuff.”

“No, they aren’t. I don’t believe in them, personally,” Regina replied.

“Okay.” The blonde waited another few seconds before she continued talking, “Well, since you asked, I used this rock-spell thing I stole from this dude who kidnapped me. Told me I had magic and that he wanted it, the weirdo. Got away, took some souvenirs. This thing supposedly brings you to your heart’s desire or some shit, ‘no matter how far away it is’, which I’m pretty sure now means across realms.”

“Magic,” Regina repeated.

“Yeah, or do you not believe in that either?” she added teasingly.

“I don’t,” Regina replied flatly and Emma’s smile faltered. “Magic isn’t real.”

“Well, it’s not common and I certainly didn’t think I had any, but it’s real—in my world at least. Figured it was here too judging by that magical candle you have there and your lack of a reaction too,” she gestured to the desk lamp and herself in turn.

“That’s just a lamp,” Regina replied.

“Right, well, I don’t see any oil or wick and it burns steadily. Seems like magic to me.”

“Well, it’s not,” Regina replied defensively.

“Alright.” The woman pulled her hands out of her pockets and held them up defensively. “My bad. My name’s Emma, by the way. Emma Swan, soldier and mercenary extraordinaire.” She’d hoped introducing herself would prompt the other woman to do the same, but it didn’t. She sighed, getting answers from this woman was like pulling teeth. Luckily, Emma liked a challenge, “And you are?”

Regina blinked. “Regina Mills. Owner of this house,” she began to list flippantly, if this person was going to spout nonsense so would she. “Ruler of Storybrooke, mother to my son.” Suddenly her gaze sharpened, her grip on her glass tightened causing her knuckles to turn white. “How are you here?

“Not sure.” Emma’s hands were back in her pockets. “Like I said, I’m still new to this ‘having magic’ thing. Some sort of astral projection I think. Not sure how long it will last. The book that came with this wasn’t super big on details.”

“Let me see if I’m following you correctly,” Regina said. “Your recent timeline went something along the lines of: kidnapped by some man, said man then tells you you have magic—something that is real, but not something you believe you possessed yourself—you then escape with a few unknown items, likely magical in nature, which you next set about playing with, making you appear in my study?”

Emma shrugged, “More or less. And I think I prefer ‘testing out’ over ‘playing with’, if we’re being honest.”

“Right. You’re insane.”

“Probably,” Emma admitted freely.

Regina arranged herself so that she was leaning back against her desk, sipping her cider. “I can’t believe you seem so nonchalant about being kidnapped. Does that happen often to you?”

Emma shook her head and gave a sharp smirk, “Normally anyone trying to attack me—for whatever reason—regrets it very quickly.” Her face resettled to her obviously typical look of carelessness, “Wasn’t prepared for the magic though. Most people don’t have any because all the magical objects are all over the place. This man wanted more power or something so he used a spell to find other people with magic so he could try to take it from them. That’s how he found me.”

“How did you get away?” Regina was intrigued by the woman’s story, for she was fairly certain this couldn’t be happening.

“It turns out my magic was bound or some shit, probably why I didn’t know I had it. He didn’t expect that either so he used a lot of energy unbinding it, which weakened him. Then he forgot what most people with magic forget—to look out for a punch to the face. His house was this very creepy tower thing so I wanted to get out of there, but I thought some stuff might be interesting or at least something I could sell.”

Regina noticed the omission of what she did to the man after she knocked him out, but decided that she didn’t want to know, nor did she care, especially given his penchant for kidnapping and torture. “Anything useful?”

Emma shrugged, “Some books to read to see if I can do anything with my new magic, some gems to sell, and of course, this thing. Came with a spell book that seems like it would actually bring me wherever this is, with the right ritual. At least now I know what the writing meant about this only allowing you to travel halfway.”

Regina wasn’t really following, mostly due to lingering stress of the day and the fact that nothing about this encounter seemed real, but she nodded anyways. “I see.”

Emma looked down at herself, “Not sure how long I can project like this, it was vague. It just said it depended on how much magic you had and I have no idea how much that is.” She looked around the room, “Is it nighttime?”

“Yes, I was working late. It must be almost midnight by now.”

Emma frowned, “It was mid-afternoon when I started trying to get the spell to work. I wonder if it’ll be night in my world when I get back or not.”

Regina made a noise of agreement as she debated having another glass. Better not, she decided as she fought a yawn. “Well, I’m exhausted from my day, so I think I’ll be heading to bed now. Feel free to,” she made a vague gesture to the room, “stay or whatever.” Could you give someone permission to stay when they weren’t even really here?

Emma opened her mouth to respond when she began to flicker and fade, her image distorting gradually. Emma looked down in surprise, “Well, that feels weird. Looks like I’m almost out of magic for now. I’m sure I’ll be back though, this world seems interesting—and so do you, Regina Mills.” She winked and before Regina could respond, she vanished leaving only her final words, “Until we meet again.”

“Until we meet again,” Regina repeated to her empty study.

 


	2. Explanations

True to her word, Emma continued to pop in and out of Regina’s life at seemingly random intervals for seemingly random amounts of time as Emma tried to figure out how exactly her magic worked. On the one hand, it gave Emma a chance to learn more about Regina’s world. On the other hand, Regina was sure the sudden appearances were going to cause her hair to whiten prematurely.

-x-x-x-

Regina got into her car, her mind already focused on the day’s work. As she put her purse on the passenger side, she reached up to check the mirror and yelped. “What the—!”

Emma grinned back at her from the back seat. “Hey, Regina.”

“Miss Swan! Must you simply appear like that!? Do I need to put a bell around your neck?” She tried to calm her breathing and repress the feeling that she was suddenly in a horror movie.

“I’m pretty sure you can’t do that—that’s sort of the point?” Emma frowned in false concentration, “You can’t touch me, I’m a hallucination or whatever you’ve convinced yourself besides the obvious answer.”

“The obvious answer being that you’re magic?” Regina responded dryly, turning in her seat in an attempt to face the blonde more comfortably.

“That I’m _using_ magic, but sure, why not? I’m magic.” She waggled her eyebrows in implication of…

Regina looked at her skeptically, “What are you even trying to imply?”

“No idea,” Emma shrugged before looking around. “Where are we? It’s small.”

Regina frowned, “My car is not small. It’s very nice.”

“It does seem high quality,” Emma acknowledged, but to be honest, most of the things in this world seemed to be. “But it’s also small.”

“It’s a car—a horse-less carriage. It isn’t supposed to be that large. It has excellent gas milage.”

“Really? It can move without something pulling it? More of your “definitely not magic”, I’m guessing.”

Regina had tried to explain electricity a couple of times to Emma, but seeing as she didn’t have a complete understanding of it herself, Emma had concluded that it was magic, but Regina just didn’t like calling it that. The humoring tone annoyed Regina at first, but she decided it was easier for both of them to let it be. “Yes. I’m going to be late for work if you don’t stop distracting me.”

“By all means, your majesty,” Emma made a sweeping gesture, “Go to work.”

Regina raised her eyebrows, “Very well. Let’s see if you can keep up.”

“Whoa!” Emma exclaimed as the vehicle began to reverse. She reached out as if to hold onto something, but was too insubstantial to hold on. Regina smirked as she pulled on to the street and picked up speed. “Okay, okay, I can do this.” Emma was slowly fading out of the car, her head appearing over the trunk of the car outside the window. “Wait, no. Maybe not.” Now she was completely outside the car, running to catch up to where Regina had stopped at a stop sign. “Crap,” she panted.

Regina rolled her window down and flashed teeth. “Too slow, Miss Swan.”

Emma frowned in determination and suddenly was in Regina’s passenger seat. “Hah!” she said triumphantly. “Now I've just got to…” She closed her eyes, making a face of intense concentration that Regina tried to not find adorable after a minute or two as she resumed driving.

“Yes, finally got the hang of it,” Emma announced, looking more substantial than usual. “I can feel this seat now, sort of.”

“Congratulations,” Regina said with dry amusement as she pulled into her parking space.

Emma frowned. “Hey, why’d we stop?

“Because we’ve arrived.”

“Aw,” Emma looked crestfallen.

Regina rolled her eyes and stifled her laughter at the picture the other woman made. “Stop being such a child, you may follow me to work if you can bring yourself to leave the car.”

“Oh, may I?” Emma mocked.

Emma didn’t even need to see Regina to know she was rolling her eyes again. She got out of the car, finding it uncomfortable to move through the door after focusing so hard on making the car seem real enough for her to travel in it.

She looked up at the large building in front of her. She ignored the part of her that told her that she should avoid going into such an obvious government building, where she might be captured or have to pay taxes or something else equally horrible. Emma’s role didn’t necessarily conflict with the law, but it was comfortably outside of it.

She hurried after Regina, who was striding up the steps, ignoring the other woman. When Emma fell in step next to her, Regina looked sidelong at her, “Decided to come after all?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “So this is where you work? I thought that was what the study we first met in was for?”

“That is for myself only, when I have work I didn’t finish before I had to leave here. This is where I spend most of my days, my public office.”

Emma looked around with interest, not noticing the light flush rising on Regina’s cheeks when she saw one of the security guards give her a strange look and she realized she must have appeared to be talking to herself. It hadn't been evident until Henry completely ignored her existence as did everyone at the diner one morning that only Regina could see her.

Regina nodded politely to the people she passed, but exchanged nothing more than vague pleasantries with anyone until someone called her name.

“Regina,” a professional looking blonde greeted her with a smile.

“Kathryn,” Regina replied, smiling the first genuine smile Emma had seen her give another person. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Kathryn, looked almost guilty to Emma as she said, “I’ve been meaning to catch you.”

Regina frowned. “About updating the guidelines on the controls for the new system?” She hadn’t heard any problems with that area of launch, just that it was taking longer than expected—a fact that was true for every area of the project.

Kathryn waved that concern off, “No, that’s fine. About having lunch Saturday.”

“Oh,” Regina studied her face before sighing. “You can’t make it.”

“I’m so sorry, Regina,” Kathryn explained. “But I have a midterm for the online class I’m taking. I thought I could schedule it anytime over the weekend, but then all the slots filled up so quickly…”

She knew Kathryn was working hard on her online classes so Law School went was smoothly as possible, but it meant far less time to see each other. Really it was Regina’s own fault for only having one friend. “It’s alright, dear,” Regina hoped her smile didn’t look as forced as it felt even as she berated herself for her selfishness. “We can just reschedule.”

“Still, I’m sorry.” Kathryn checked her watch, “Oh, crap. I have a meeting in ten.”

“Alright, goodbye,” Regina said, trying not to think that it’d been a month since they’d even gotten lunch.

“I’ll call you, I promise.” Kathryn hurried off with a wave.

“Who was that?” Emma asked.

“My friend, Kathryn,” Regina replied quietly. “We normally see each other at least once a week, but she’s been taking classes so she’s a bit busier than usual.”

“Oh.”

Regina said very little else aside from greeting her secretary until they made it past the prying eyes of the rest of the town workers and she was able to shut them in her office.

Emma looked around at the dramatic black and white motif that pervaded the large and tastefully decorated office as Regina went to put her things down at her desk.

After walking around the room for a few minutes, Emma turned to find Regina seated at her desk, set up very much how she was at her house.“So what exactly do you do?” Emma asked. She remembered their first conversation, Regina calling herself a ruler, but Emma could retroactively recognize Regina’s brand of dry humor. “All I’ve managed to get is that it involves a lot of paper.”

Regina cracked a smile, “That is a very good description of ‘what I do’. However, my official title is Mayor of this town.”

“Mayor?” Emma tested the word out.

“It means I’m in charge of the town I live in,” Regina clarified.

“So you’re like a Lady or Duchess, ruling this part of your land.” Emma looked around the older woman’s manor. It seemed too nice for a headwoman in charge of a small “town”. “How large is this town?”

Regina frowned, trying to remember the numbers from the last census. “About fourteen, fifteen thousand.”

Emma’s eyebrows rose at the word ‘thousand’. Right. She knew Regina was important. “And you call that a town?”

“You wouldn’t?”

“We have the two big cities—the capital and the port— with a hundred thousand people maybe, and then small villages scattered throughout the land. Not much in the middle,” Emma explained. “A few noble castles have larger towns, but no more than a couple thousand to them.”

Regina nodded to show she followed, “I suppose that makes sense. My world has a very high population in general, so this isn’t very large to us.”

“If you say so, your majesty,” Emma replied with a mock bow.

Regina laughed, “Oh, I wish. My job would be much easier if I could simply order everyone to do as I say.”

“You can’t?” Emma felt that even if Regina didn’t have the official authority of command, she would still be pretty good at getting her own way.

“No. I am responsible to a town council and my constituents, of course.” Emma’s confusion over the word must have shown on her face as Regina clarified, “The townspeople, dear.”

“How can they stop you?”

“Oh, I forgot. We don’t have a monarchy—no kings or queens—in my country. The political system we have is called ‘democracy’. It means,” or it was supposed to mean anyway, “the power is in the hands of the people.”

At Emma’s blank look, she elaborated, “I studied government in school, worked in this area to build experience, and, when the time to pick the next mayor came about, I put myself forward as someone who wanted to run the town. Then myself and the other person who wanted the job, gave talks about our views, what we wanted to do for the town, our capabilities, et cetera. Finally, there is a day when everyone in town reports who they think would do the best job. The person with the most support gets to be in charge—until the next election, when the process starts all over again.”

“Wow.” It sounded vaguely similar to the way villages chose headmen or headwomen, but more official and on a much bigger scale. “That sounds…really complicated.”

“It is. And it doesn’t always work out perfectly, but I do prefer it to one person, with all the power, for their whole life, because of who their parents were.”

“I can see that. It’s an interesting idea at least. Anyone can do what you did?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.”

Emma continued to inspect her office as Regina set up her desk and started up her computer. Regina got distracted by emails that needed her attention and by the time she looked up, the blonde was gone. Regina couldn’t tell if she was relieved or disappointed.

-x-x-x-

“Oh, gods,” came a voice from behind Regina, causing her to turn around quickly. “Something smells awesome.”

“Hello, Miss Swan, nice to see you as well,” Regina said wryly, shaking her head as Emma continued to sniff the air.

“Hey, Regina.” Emma smiled at the prickly older woman as she looked around the room, “Are you cooking?”

“A truly stunning observation,” Regina drawled as she turned back to the stove.

“I just figured you had someone cook for you,” Emma said with a shrug, trying not to let her continued ignorance of this world get to her.

Regina’s face softened with understanding as she guessed where Emma was coming from, “Most people in my world do not possess servants, regardless of how well off they are financially. And I enjoy cooking.”

“Well, if the smell is anything to go by, you’re great at it.” Emma secretly enjoyed giving Regina compliments because it always caused the brunette’s bravado to falter briefly. Sure enough, a pleased expression crossed Regina’s face before she turned to the side. Emma always got a thrill from making the confident older woman react like a young girl. “What are you making?”

“Garlic chicken with rice and broccoli.” Regina gestured to each item as she spoke. “It’s simple, but tastes good. Most importantly, it’s something Henry is willing to eat.”

“Henry?” Emma asked casually, as she stared around the kitchen and tried not to seem eager for any information about the fascinating woman.

“My son,” Regina answered distractedly as she flipped the chicken. “Luckily, he seems to have almost grown out of the phase where he’s a picky eater.”

“Right.” Emma nodded, remembering the almost perfect renderings she had seen of Regina with a young boy. “From the portraits in your study room. What about your husband?”

Regina flinched and looked up sharply, “My what?”

“Your husband?” Emma frowned at Regina’s obvious mood change, “I’m guessing he likes this too? He’s in a couple of the portraits. An older man, kind face?”

Regina visibly lost her tension. “That is my late father,” she corrected. “I’m not married.”

“Oh, sorry. I just thought, with the kid and all …” Emma’s eyes darted down to the ring on Regina’s finger, that admittedly was not as fancy as she’d have guessed a wedding ring for a Lady would be, but she didn’t know how that worked in this world. With the nice house and how beautiful Regina was, with an important position and a sweet looking kid, Emma had assumed she had to be married, who wouldn’t want to be with her?

Regina must have sensed where her gaze was as the fingers of her other hand twisted the ring. “I’ve been engaged, twice. One was not what I wished for. The other was all that I wished for. Daniel gave me this ring and then he died.” She visibly shook herself, “It’s only me and Henry.”

“I’m so sorry,” Emma said sincerely, she wasn’t one for relationships, not after Neal’s betrayal, but to lose someone like that... That was one of the main reasons she didn’t get attached to people, the pain when left behind looked so intense—she could see an echo of that pain on Regina’s face now—she didn’t want to risk it. Or she hadn’t before, recently she’d been thinking about it more than she ever had since she was young. “I didn’t mean….”

“You didn’t know.” Regina gave her a shrewd look and pointed out, “You haven’t mentioned any other family either, or people in general.”

Emma’s face hardened slightly, “Nope, I haven’t.”

“Hm,” Regina said, acknowledging the unspoken information and checking the food. “You know, I can’t recall you remarking on any smells before.”

“You’re right,” Emma replied, grateful for the change in topic. “I used to just be able to smell the forest or the place I was in. Now I can smell your world as well as see it. I must be getting better at the spell.” She moved closer to the oven and held her hands out, “I can even feel the heat your non-magical fireless grill is giving off.”

“It’s called a stove,” Regina replied, adjusting the dials so nothing burned before moving to get down plates. When she reached up, her shirt slipped up as well and Emma found herself wanting to steady Regina with a hand directly over the exposed skin. When Regina lowered herself down, Emma had to physically shake her head to clear her thoughts.

Next, Regina pulled silverware out of another drawer, placing them on the plates along with napkins, and headed through a doorway into the dining room.

Emma followed silently, watching the routine as Regina went to the other side and called, “Henry! Five more minutes until dinner.”

A boy’s voice replied, “Okay, Mom.”

Emma peaked around the door to find a room with two comfortable looking chairs, a sofa, a table, and a number of other things she couldn’t identify. She scanned the room until she spotted a boy in one of the chairs, his feet pulled up onto the seat with him. Despite knowing that Regina had looked so similar to the portraits, she was still surprised at how accurately they had captured the boy—Henry, she corrected to herself.

Some changing light distracted her, causing her to follow the boys gaze to a large square object against one wall. “Whoa!”

The exclamation caused Regina to double back, wondering what was wrong. “What is it, Emma?” she asked, checking the room herself but finding nothing amiss.

“What is that?” Emma asked in an awed voice. She had seen the perfectly rendered portraits of Regina and her son that were above her fireplace in her study, but this was something completely different. More perfect pictures, but they were moving. It was like seeing through a window in the wall to a completely different place. And there was sound too! She could hear the people speaking.

“Oh,” Regina realized what Emma was shocked by. “It’s called a television or a TV for short. It…” She faltered briefly, she wasn’t really sure how to explain it in terms Emma had any familiarity with. “Have you ever seen flip books? Where you have a drawing on each page in a certain order and when you flip through it fast enough, the image seems to move? Or I think they used to have pictures in a cylinder and when you spun it around the center, the picture also seemed to move?”

Emma slowly processed what Regina was saying. “Yeah, I think I have…”

“This is like that, only more advanced,” Regina replied. She wasn’t sure if it really was, but that was the best explanation she could come up with. “People act out plays and then pictures are created from that and transmitted to people with TVs. We can watch them, for entertainment.”

“But how does the sound work and how are they sent from one place to another?”

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure,” Regina admitted, causing Emma to finally look away from the TV and back to Regina. “Everything in my world, you’ll find, or have probably noticed, is very complicated. People specialize, and learn how to do one thing very well, without knowledge of other things or how they work. It allows us to have advanced devices that anyone can use, but very few can build or explain.”

“But don’t you want to know?” Emma asked, surprised.

Regina shrugged, “Sometimes, but there are simply too many complex devices. TVs, cars, stoves, lights—most function on electricity as I mentioned, but I haven’t studied enough about it to truly explain it. Sorry.”

“Oh no, it's fine. I guess I can see where you’re coming from. Everything in my world is just so much simpler, I guess.”

“I can try to find a book at the library if you want,” Regina offered. “There should be some that explain, in basic terms how many of these things work.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Emma said, touched that Regina would take her questions so seriously.

“Are you sure?” Regina began to head back to the kitchen, Emma trailing behind. The blonde cast a last glance in the room, noticing Henry didn’t seem to have noticed his mother’s conversation with the air. It seemed he found the TV fascinating too.

“Yeah, it’s not like I could turn the pages on my own anyways,” Emma pointed out.

“True,” Regina acknowledged as she turned off the stove and moved the pans off hot burners.

Emma shook her head, “I don’t think anything could be as magical as that.”

Regina smirked, “Hold off with that thought until you’ve seen the bathrooms.


	3. Introductions

Regina was lounging on the couch while Emma leaned against the wall, each chatting about their day as the rain poured down outside. Regina was glad the week was over and Emma had managed to find a barn to keep her dry as it was raining for her as well. With firelight, the sound of rain falling, and good company, both women were more relaxed than they had been in a while. Emma was using the brief moment of calm as a chance to study the spell book more closely.

“—just having some trouble with the languages in the spell book. Whoever wrote the damn thing couldn’t seem to pick a common language and stick with it.”

“Perhaps it was to make it more difficult for someone else to use it?” Regina pointed out with a raised brow. “Do the languages use the alphabet that appears in my books?” She’d shown Emma a book when she’d attempted to explain printing to her.

“Sometimes. But it’s not always the language we speak.”

“Still. I might be able to look—” Regina cut herself off at the sound of a door creaking open. She looked around the couch to find a sleepy little boy, rubbing one eye and wandering into the room.

“Henry? What are you doing up?” Regina got up off the couch, her glass of cider on the end table next her. She leaned down and scooped the boy up. “Did the storm wake you up?” Henry wasn’t scared of thunderstorms, but they tended to wake him up and make it hard for him to get back to sleep.

Emma smiled indulgently at mother and son, loving the maternal side of the other woman.

“Mama?” Henry asked, yawning. He looked at her curiously and then around the room. “Who were you talking to?”

“I…”

“It’s late. Where’s your phone? I didn’t hear you say goodbye and you said it’s rude not to say bye.”

Regina thought for a moment, she had known this would come up eventually. Henry was always around at home and one day he would see her jump in surprise at nothing or speak to the air and so she’d thought about how to deal with it. She took a deep breath and looked at him calmly. “I was speaking to my invisible friend, Emma.”

“You have an invisible friend?” Henry’s voice was full of awe.

Emma watched with surprise as Regina matter-of-factly told her son, “Yes. She’s from a different world.”

His brow furrowed and asked, with a trace of petulance, “How come you can see her, but I can’t?”

“We’re not sure. She’s using magic to visit our world, but it only works part-way. I can see and hear her, but no one else can and she can’t touch anything here.”

“Like a ghost?” He looked around the room with excitement, “Where is she?”

“She’s standing by the fireplace,” Regina replied, pointing.

Henry frowned at the fireplace, screwing up his eyes before he turned back to his mother. “Are you trying to play a prank on me?” Henry’s brows knitted together as he thought hard. “Because Ava planned a prank on Nick last week and it wasn’t funny—he lost his favorite comic.”

“Suspicious, nice,” the blonde commented with a grin. “I like it.”

“Oh, quiet, Miss Swan,” Regina waved a hand at the other woman while keeping her eyes fixed on her son. She held his gaze solemnly, “I’m not trying to play a trick on you, Henry.”

Henry pouted, “Alice had an invisible friend when we were younger, but it turned out he was imaginary and a lie. I’ve never heard of an adult having an invisible friend. And I thought you said magic wasn’t real.”

“I know I said that, sweetheart, but I was wrong. Magic is real where Emma comes from and she is real,” Regina crouched down to meet Henry’s eyes and she could see that he was torn. Seven was just old enough to stop believing everything your parents told you.

“Prove it,” he said finally, crossing his arms and looking at her challengingly. Emma laughed at how much he looked like his mother.

Regina looked caught between nostalgia that he wouldn’t believe her the way he would when he was five and being proud he was so smart. However, she had thought it might come to this and so she was prepared. “Alright. I know a way I can prove it to you. You can go into another room, where I can’t hear you, and Emma will follow. Then you say a password or tell a secret to her. Then when you both come back, Emma can tell me the password or secret.”

Henry smiled widely, clearly appreciating her solution. “Okay!”

“That’s actually really smart,” Emma sounded impressed.

“Why thank you, dear,” Regina replied with a smirk.

“Come on,” Henry told the fireplace excitedly, causing Regina to suppress a smile and Emma to laugh. He turned to run out of the room, making beckoning gestures with his hand.

Regina copied his motion, “Well, go on, Miss Swan.”

Emma rolled her eyes at the bossy Mills but followed the boy out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen.

-x-x-x-

The pair returned a few minutes later, Henry, obviously much more awake than when he had first shown up, practically vibrated with excitement.

“He’s gonna regret this,” Emma said with a smile, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” Regina asked.

“He kept changing his mind about what to use as a password so he told me a secret,” Emma explained as Henry’s eyes bounced back and forth between his mother and a vague area by the fireplace where she was looking. “He said that Pongo didn’t ruin your flowers, he did. Because he was looking for fossils. He says he didn’t even find any. Pongo’s that dog, right? What are fossils?”

Regina whirled on her son, “Henry Daniel Mills! My azaleas?!”

Henry flinched, clearly not having thought this far ahead, “I’m sorry, Mom! It seemed like a really good idea. I figured you wouldn’t get mad because fossils are cool and I could sell them to get brand new flowers _and_ comics.”

“You know you’re not allowed into my garden without my permission or supervision,” Regina scolded. “And you lied about it. Blaming poor Pongo, who hadn’t done anything wrong.”

Henry looked down guiltily.

“I still haven’t let Pongo into our backyard,” Regina observed, almost to herself.

“I still don’t know what fossils are,” Emma added.

Regina looked over at her, nearly having forgotten the reason this revelation had come to light. “Fossils are preserved remains of dead plants or animals in stone.” She switched her gaze back to her son, “They are also typically buried far deeper in the ground than any boy could possibly dig without his mother catching him messing around in her garden.”

“I’m sorry, Mama,” Henry said in a pitiful tone, wrapping his arms around Regina’s waist.

“I’m glad that you’re sorry, sweetheart,” Regina said kindly before hardening her tone, “But you’re still in trouble, young man.”

Henry looked up at her, arms still around her, with an expression of earnest contrition, “I’m _really_ sorry.”

Emma laughed, “Wow, he’s got that sad face down. I see how things work in this family.”

“Oh, do hush, Miss Swan,” Regina said. “He knows that face won’t convince me to let him off the hook.”

Now Henry’s look changed to a more honest pout. “But Mom…”

“No ‘but’s,” Regina scolded. “No TV for a week for lying and you’ll help me with the weeding in the garden to help balance out the damage you did since I already tended to the azaleas.”

“Mom…” he whined and continued to pout.

“You know better than that, Henry.”

Henry just grumbled to himself.

“How about we focus back on me?” Emma suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

“You’re rather needy, aren’t you?” Regina teased.

“Oh, yeah. The test worked. Wow.” Henry’s sullen attitude melted away, “Where is she? What’s her name again? What does she look like? How old is she?”

“Whoa,” Emma said with a laugh at the sudden influx of questions as Henry searched the room for her.

“Her name is Emma Swan,” Regina began. “She’s a few years younger than I am. She has blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“And I’m taller than you,” Emma put in, smirking. “And a legendary warrior in my world.”

“She wants me to mention that she is barely an inch or two taller than I am,” Regina relayed before raising her eyebrow, “And you’re a _legendary_ warrior now, are you? How modest of you not to have brought this up until now.”

Henry’s eyes got big, “Really?”

“Her world is similar to ours was in the medieval times, with kings and knights and such. The main difference seems to be that her world has magic. That’s how she is able to come see our world.”

“Wow. So she’s like a knight?!” Emma started to correct him, but Regina just waved a hand at her. “How come only you can see her?”

“We’re not sure. She didn’t know she had magic until a little while ago. She cast a spell she took from a bad man who tried to take her magic from her and it made her appear in this room one night a few weeks ago.”

Henry had listened with fascinated attention, his eyes shining, “Wow. That is so cool. What were you talking about when I came down?”

“I was going see if I could help Emma translate some of the writing in her spell book.”

“With the computer?”

Regina nodded. “Or a book from the library.”

“That’s so awesome. Can I help?”

“Of course,” Regina assured him. “But right now, it’s past your bedtime.”

“But mom….”

“Henry. The storm is dying down so you should be able to sleep.” She could see he still wasn’t convinced so she added, “Why do I make us some hot chocolate and then we talk more about this in the morning?”

“With mini-marshmallows?” Henry asked, distracted by the promise of sugar.

“Yes.”

“Yay!” Henry ran ahead to the kitchen while Regina stood up from the couch.

“We can talk more about the spells when Henry goes back to bed. It’s just too late and if he doesn’t get to sleep soon, he’ll be cranky all day tomorrow.”

“I get it,” Emma said as they followed at a more normal pace. “He seems like a really sweet kid.”

Regina flashed her a brilliant smile, “Thank you. He is.”

Emma watched with fascination as Regina prepared the drinks, three since Henry insisted they make one for Emma even if she couldn’t actually drink from it.

He also insisted that they give a name to their plan to help Emma with her spellbook, but they hadn’t decided on one when the late time finally hit the boy. Regina had to practically carry him up the stairs.

By the time Regina shut his door, Emma was starting to fade so they said their goodnights as well. Regina went to bed feeling happy these two important people in her life had finally met and that someone else knew about her secret friend, even if it was just her son.

Truthfully, this meeting had another impact. While she had acted as a medium, someone else had interacted with Emma. Her test not only proved Emma’s existence to Henry, but also to herself.


	4. Injured

Regina was reading on her bed when she got the familiar sensation that meant Emma was here. She suppressed a small smile, but didn’t look up, not wanting to seem eager. It had been over a week since she last saw the blonde. Not that she’d begun to miss her, of course, she simply disliked changes to her routine. She’d merely gotten used to Emma’s sudden appearances in her life and the breath of life she brought with her.

“Hey, ‘Gina.” That was Emma’s voice and yet it sounded tired. It was as if…as if she were putting on a brave face—something Regina felt she was qualified in recognizing given her own extensive practice.

Regina looked up quickly, inexplicable worry overshadowing her. She gasped when she saw the younger woman. Emma was sitting down on something Regina couldn’t see, not standing like she normally was, and she could see why. Emma had a black eye, was extending her leg oddly, and had spots of blood and mud all over her.

“Emma!” Regina jumped from the bed and was by the blonde woman’s side in an instant, her hands hovering with worried uncertainty, wanting to usher her onto the chaise lounge chair before remembering that Emma was in another world and there was nothing she could actually do to help. Regina cursed inwardly as she continued to look her over and attempt to discover the extent of the younger woman’s injuries, hating how helpless she felt. “What happened?!”

Emma looked like she had no idea how to deal with Regina’s obvious concern and just shrugged—which made her flinch ever so slightly. “Fighting. My job. I’m fine, just need some patching up.”

“Who were you fighting? Are you still in danger?” Regina asked, needing more information.

“Just some ogres.” Emma was trying very hard to act casual. “And they’re all dead now. No worries. Got paid really well for it too.”

“Oh, well if it was just ogres,” Regina replied sarcastically. “Pardon me if I’m misremembering this, but didn’t you tell me ogres were blind, over ten feet tall, and incredibly powerful!?”

Emma winced. Damn, she’d been hoping she hadn’t told Regina that much about ogres. “Yeah, well, it’s not like I had much of a choice, alright.”

Regina opened her mouth to say something more but visibly pulled herself together. “Where are you hurt? Should you even be using magic to come here? Shouldn’t you be finding a doctor or a healer or someone trained?”

Emma waved off Regina’s concern and began digging through a bag Regina couldn’t see. “Using magic doesn’t have anything do with being roughed up. It’s fine.” She was reconsidering her decision to come as she was given how upset this was making Regina. She ignored the part of her that suggested this was exactly why she had decided to visit Regina, the off chance someone might actually show real concern o her wellbeing was too tempting to resist, even if she knew it was selfish to make Regina worry. “I’ll be patched up in no time. How was your day?”

Regina ignored her question, “Shouldn’t you be trying to heal yourself or something?”

Emma started to shrug before thinking better if it, “I don’t know how to heal.”

“Then shouldn’t you be trying to learn then?” Regina insisted.

“Nah, too much work.” Also none of the books she had taken involved healing—most were for dark magic when seemed more about causing injuries than healing them. Magic books were guarded by the wealthy or in the hands of mysterious magic users already making them rare and hard to find. She’d kept her ears open for anything she might be able to buy or, ehm, acquire, but most would be far too expensive for someone who spent most of their money on food, shelter and tools for their job with little leftover. “Easier to just take care of this the way I always do—non-magically.”

“I suppose…” Regina said doubtfully.

Emma pulled out a flask and began pouring some sort of clear alcohol on her wounds and cleaning them, hissing through gritted teeth the whole time. Regina fidgeted as she watched, aching to help. She was reminded of the times Henry had been sick or hurt and while she was filled with less panic, she still despised watching someone she cared about in pain.

“Perhaps I could look something up to help,” Regina offered.

“Look something up?” It was clear the phrase meant very little to the blonde.

“Attempt to find information about treating wounds and the like.”

“I’m not sure that would help—I already know to wrap a bandage around what’s bleeding, you know,” Emma pointed out, ignoring Regina’s scowl at her nonchalant attitude.

“Yes, but I’m sure there are,” Regina grasped for some way she might be able to help, “are herbs with antiseptic qualities or some other such thing that you could get to help you, even in your world. Even without Band-Aids and antiseptic wipes.”

“So you know stuff about wound care?” Emma asked, wanting Regina to distract her while she cleaned her cut, knowing it would sting.

“Some. Basic things mostly and with the supplies we have in my world. I… got hurt as a child and would have to fix myself up. That was mostly trial and error. I mostly know how to use make-up to cover-up injuries,” Regina answered distractedly as she started up her laptop, having already shut it down for the night. “When I knew I was going to be getting Henry, I took a first aid course—er, I was taught some basic ways to help injured or sick people.

Emma nodded and reached for a bandage that became visible to Regina once the blonde was holding it, “What did you mean when you said you 'got' Henry?” She must have seen the way the brunette’s face froze. “I didn’t mean anything by it, it just, I don’t know, seemed like there was something about the way you said that…” Emma trailed off and shrugged. “Seemed like there was a story there.”

“It’s alright. I meant that I adopted Henry. I can’t have children on my own, so I took in a baby whose parents had died. It was a long process to be approved and then more time to get the paperwork through while everything was finalized and during that time I refreshed my first aid skills.” Regina was flipping through articles and failed to notice that Emma had frozen at her words.

Emma was staring at Regina as if she’d never seen her before. “You mean Henry isn’t your kid? He’s an orphan?”

Regina bristled as the blonde unknowingly stabbed one of her weak spots. People who insisted that she couldn’t love Henry as much as his real parents would have or that their bond wasn’t as strong as the bond between blood related parent and child made her want to scream. “He most certainly is my son!”

“Whoa!” Emma held her hands up, although not very high due to her shoulders and back aching. “Sorry. I—I didn’t mean it like that. But…” She was still trying to wrap her head around this new information. She had seen Regina and Henry together and Regina hadn’t treated him the way even kids who stayed with families that weren’t their's did—not in her word anyways. She searched for an explanation that she could understand. “Is he blood-related to you, a nephew or cousin?”

“No,” Regina said shortly, not sure where Emma was going but not liking it, particularly when it involved her family. “My parents are both dead. I have no siblings and my father’s family cut ties with him for marrying my mother. I have no other family beyond Henry.”

Emma asked, grasping at straws, “Were his parents friends of yours?”

Regina frowned. “No. I’d never met them.” She was studying Emma more closely, now that her initial defensiveness was wearing off and she could see something was off with the other woman. “Emma? I’m quite sure that if you tighten that bandage around your arm any further, you will cut off blood flow to the rest of your arm."

“What?” Emma asked startled, she looked down at her arm as if she’d never seen it before and began methodically unwinding the far too tight bandage. “Oh… Right.”

“Emma?” Regina’s voice was cautious but full of unspoken questions.

“I just…” Emma stopped, looking up at Regina with a pleading expression on her face. “Is that common in your world? People taking in orphans they don’t know?”

Regina frowned, well aware there was a dimension to their conversation she was missing, but answered anyway, “Unfortunately, there are many children who do not get adopted into good homes, but some do. Why?”

“Hm, nothing. I…” Emma looked down, messing with something before unrolling a bandage. As she began to unwrap it she said quietly, “I never knew my parents. I grew up in an orphanage until it lost its funding. I was old enough to make it on the street by then though, and it’s not like it was that different.” The idea that this world gave second chances to orphans, people like her, who everyone treated like burdens, second chances with real families and real mothers like Regina, who clearly viewed Henry with as much love as if he were her own was just…too much for her right now.

“Oh.” Emma looked up warily, not wanting to see pity or superiority that people tended to view her with when they heard about her early life. Neither was present, only compassion and understanding was in Regina’s warm brown eyes, “I’m sorry you had such a hard start to life.”

Silence filled the room as both women forcibly focused back onto their respective tasks.

Regina decided to think about what Emma told her when she was alone, not knowing Emma planned on doing the same and spoke first. “Do you have access to ice? Or vinegar?

“Ice?” She was on the outskirts of the town she had helped. They most likely had an ice house.

“Yes, it helps numb pain and reduce swelling,” Regina said, still trying to find other treatments for bruising and halting blood flow that did not require medicine. “Vinegar also should help the swelling go down. It helps bruises as well, I know that from personal experience.”

Emma supposed that snow often helped with injuries, the problem was that most of the time freezing to death was the possible side effect and if she was warm enough—the snow would just melt. She supposed solid ice would take longer to melt and if she wrapped it in some cloth, it could be applied to her leg if it was still acting up tomorrow.

Vinegar though she did know about, “I’d forgotten how that can help. I’ll pick some up in town on my way tomorrow.”

Regina looked up, “You’re traveling tomorrow? Is that wise?”

“Gotta keep moving. Towns don’t like mercenaries hanging around, even ones that save them from ogres. They’ll be welcoming in the beginning, but not for long. I prefer not to wear the welcome out. Besides, the local lord paid me well—the town’s people don’t have much in the way of anything.”

“But you won’t set to hard a pace, will you?” Regina’s voice held a warning tone now, not unlike the one she had when Henry had darted into the kitchen and without turning she’d checked that he wasn’t trying to sneak a cookie right before. “You’re not going to push yourself too hard with your injuries and end up further hurting yourself than if you’d simply gone at a sensible pace.”

Emma winced, remembering a few times she had done exactly that. “Of course not.” She covered with bluster, “Normally I can make it to the city in three days from here but I’ll take at least four this time.”

Regina gave her a shrewd look, “I’m sure you will.” Instantly, Emma knew that Regina would be checking that really happened. Part of her resented the idea that she needed to be monitored like a child. A larger part filled with warmth at the thought of Regina knowing her so well and looking out for her.

Emma began feeling and massaging her legs, trying to get a feel for what was hurt and how badly, checking for bruises that weren’t visible yet. “How come you had to learn this stuff when you were a kid?” she asked idly, always wanting to know anything about the older woman. “I thought your world didn’t have as much violence.”

“It doesn’t,” she winced at that, “Or at least the part of the world that I’m in doesn’t—the benefits of being in a small town in the middle of nowhere.”

“Wait, didn’t you say you knew things about how to disguise injuries. Why?”

“My mother liked things done a certain way. She was displeased when I couldn’t live up to her standards. Occasionally she showed her disapproval with violence, however she often preferred other methods. In my world, disciplining children physically isn’t normally allowed and is frowned upon, so she didn’t want anyone else to know.”

“Oh.” That Emma understood all too well. Adults pushing around kids who couldn’t defend themselves, always demanding the impossible—obvious in that Regina was one of the smartest, kindest, strongest women she’d ever met. She felt an impulse to punch Regina’s mother in the face that she suppressed with the memory of Regina saying she was already dead. “She sounds like a real piece of work, you know?”

Regina gave a small laugh, “Indeed.”

Regina gave a frustrated sigh, “I can’t find anything else that’s useful to you. Everything involves our own medicine or is unproven.”

Emma smiled, “Thanks for looking.”

Regina shut her computer and sat on the edge of her bed facing Emma who was still on the chaise lounge. “I wish I could give you some of our medicine or bandages.”

Emma smiled, “I do too. I’ve looked into that, but I think being able to sit in your chair is the furthest I’m going to get. Without actually coming to your world, of course.”

Regina rolled her eyes, “Of course.”

Emma yawned, as patched up as she could get for now, and the adrenaline was finally wearing off. Her eyelids drooped. “I should get to sleep.”

“You should go to bed,” Regina said at the same time causing the women to smile at each other. “And make sure to drink lots of fluids—and alcohol doesn’t count.”

Emma smiled instead of rolling her eyes, too tired to pretend to be annoyed by Regina’s concern. “You seem like a really good mom. Henry’s lucky.”

To the blonde’s surprise Regina blushed, looking down. “Thank you.” Any worries that the blonde had changed her opinion of her and Henry’s relationship due to finding out he was adopted vanished. “Now get some sleep.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Emma gave a vague salute as she faded out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, airing out cuts is a lie--moist and covered is the way to go. You learn something new everyday.


	5. Sharing

Emma appeared gradually as her magic activated the spell, the bed at the center of the room told her where she probably was. She was momentarily distracted from her search for the other woman. She’d been too focused on her injuries to truly take in Regina’s bedroom the last and only other time she’d been here. She looked around impressed and envious at the size and comfort of the bed as well as the overall size of the room.

After the silence and lack of response registered, she frowned. Regina came into the room, through a door, dressed in what Emma recognized as her sleepwear, once again taking note of details she’d been too distracted to notice the last time she’d seen the clothing. The long sleeve top and pants were light blue and looked to be silk. Emma froze, always reminded of how much better off Regina was than her at random times. Regina might claim not to be nobility, but that was how she seemed most days.

Emma forced herself away from those thoughts and noticed that Regina had her eyes down, seemingly ignorant of Emma’s presence so far. Emma’s frown deepened when she realized Regina seemed upset or sad. The older woman placing a glass of water on the nightstand and moved onto her bed, drawing her knees up to her chest, obviously lost in her thoughts. She buried her head in her knees, breathing deeply and trying to halt the few stray tears that were leaking out.

“Regina?” Emma asked cautiously, not wanting to startle the other woman in her obviously vulnerable state.

Regina tensed and tried to discretely wipe her face as she looked up and around for the other woman. “Emma?” Her voice was soft and slightly raspier than normal, her eyes red around the edges. She spotted her by the closet and gave her a small smile. “Nice to see you’ve fully recovered from your injuries, soldier.”

Emma returned her smile before moving closer, leaning down and placing her hand on the bed. “Yeah, I’m good as new. What about you though?” Regina sighed and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “What happened?” A bolt of panic hit Emma, “Is Henry alright?” She stood up, looking for the door to the rest of the house to check.

“Henry’s fine,” Regina reassured her as she reached out to put a hand on Emma’s own. It went through, only a cool feeling on both women’s skin and Regina pulled back until her hand was next to Emma’s instead of on top of it.

Emma visibly relaxed, dropping back down so she was closer to the other woman’s face, “Then what is it?”

Regina sighed again, “He’s fine, but he is sick. He woke up sometime last night, nauseous and feverish. We went to the doctor’s to get antibiotics and I’ve been taking care of him all day. He only just went to sleep.”

Emma felt sick herself, she’d seen kids who were fine one day, get sick the next, and be dead by the end of the week, “Are you sure he’s alright? Sickness can kill kids so easily.”

Regina gave her a tired smile, “I’m sure, dear. The doctor is completely confident he’ll be fine.” She decided to leave out how she herself had been out of her mind with worry and had threatened the doctor for not taking her child’s health seriously enough. “His fever’s gone down since this morning and he hasn’t thrown up in a couple of hours. He’s on the mend, I promise you. I’m simply tired from being up all night and trying to help him feel better.”

“Of course.”

“And there’s an important presentation in two days, that I’ve now lost a day to prep for,” Regina added. “Which isn’t anything compared to Henry being ill, but it doesn’t help either.”

“Should I go then? You probably want to sleep…” Emma asked. It had been a week or so since she last saw Regina, so she would be sad to go, but it was clear Regina was exhausted.

Regina’s hand clenched around the bed sheet. “Stay,” she said quietly, closing her eyes. She knew that for all she was tired, any sleep she had after falling asleep in this sort of mindset would be plagued with nightmares. “I’d prefer it if you stayed,” she opened her eyes to fix Emma with a clear but pleading gaze.

Emma suspected there was more to Regina’s current mood than just Henry, but she had also long since realized Regina’s eyes told her all she needed to know. Right now, Regina needed someone to be with her and, while it was only in spirit, that was something Emma could do. “Sure.”

Emma went around to the other side of the bed and climbed on next to the older woman. “Anything you want to talk about? I’d listen to your work stuff, even if I wouldn’t understand.”

Regina shook her head, leaning her head briefly down, before reclining back against the headboard, leaving only her arms wrapped around her knees. “I can’t think about my work. Tell me something about your world.”

“Like what?” Emma asked, mind coming up blank at such an open question.

“Tell me about your work.” Regina eyes were half closed, but facing Emma. “How’d you get started as a traveling warrior?”

Emma didn’t like talking about herself, but Regina was different. She seemed actually interested in Emma’s life and she hadn’t been judgmental yet—not of important things. “I grew up in the port city, in and out of orphanages. Every few years, army officials come through, asking for recruits—but they don’t really ask and while supposedly anyone can get chosen, it was really only the poor who end up going.”

“Me and a couple of other kids in their teens, practically on our own by then, were selected. There are always wars going on. The Ogre Wars are in the past but there’s always some other kingdom or creatures to fight. That means the army is always looking for bodies to fill its ranks. And if you survived, it was good training, not a terrible life—and it’s not like I had any other skills or better ideas.”

Regina listened attentively, only interrupting to ask clarifying questions, but questions that showed she really was listening. Emma described how she’d stayed for a number of years until a man she’d trusted had betrayed her and she’d left, having fulfilled her required service a year ago. “He’d been stealing from the company. Not much at first, but more and more the longer he didn’t get caught. Someone eventually realized what had been going on. He decided to go for one last score and leave me to take the blame.

“Luckily, someone recognized him leaving the city with a large wagon—which was strange for a soldier on his own. It was searched and goods stamped with the royal insignia were discovered. When he couldn’t produce papers verifying he had permission to have them he was marched back to the camp. I’d been in the dungeons for over a week, but I was released when he was convicted. He tried to apologize, but I refused to speak to him.

“We’d talked about retiring together, moving to a town and taking guard jobs at a local lord’s castle. Maybe having our own family. And it had all been a lie.” Emma snapped her mouth shut, she hadn’t meant to say that last part, but Regina’s eyes just had a way of making her spill her thoughts and feelings.

“Daniel died twelve years ago today. We were together the last year of high school—seventeen years old. He taught riding and took care of the horses at the stable I went to. We kept it a secret from my mother because she didn’t approve of dating the help,” Regina’s face screwed up into a sneer. “Which was so hypocritical, it should have been laughable. We were waiting until I was eighteen, but she found out. Someone caught us together and told her.”

“She followed me one day and confronted us. She was yelling and threatening,” Regina’s eyes clearly showed she was no longer with Emma, but back in that stable. Trying to stand between her mother and Daniel, trying to argue with her hurtful words, accusing Daniel of taking advantage of her. Cora turning on her, grabbing her to yell at her for her disobedience and then Daniel trying to get between them. “The noise spooked a horse Daniel had been tending.”

“He was trampled.” Regina’s voice had a dead and flat quality that Emma never wanted to hear from the other woman ever again. “Mother always gets what she wants.”

“Oh god.” Something about the way Regina said that last part made a chill run down Emma’s spine and she wondered how much of accident it had been. The retroactive urge to hurt Regina’s mother coming back again at full force. No wonder Regina’s day was so bad. “That’s terrible.”

Regina made a noncommittal noise and seemed to get lost once more in her thoughts.

Emma realized that her story about Neal’s betrayal was not helping Regina at all, even if it was what she’d asked for. She searched her mind for something else to say. “Have I told you about the one time I fell asleep while riding—through the rain—and accidently got stuck upside-down in the saddle?”

Regina’s eyes opened in surprise, a startled, weak laugh escaping her, “No, I don’t believe you have.”

“Well, I had just helped this one town out with a pixie infestation—annoying, biting things—and they’d thanked me with a horse to make up for the lost travel time since I’d been going somewhere else. Due to the extra time it had taken me, and due to the viciousness of pixies, I was beyond tired and thought I could nap in the saddle…”

By the end, Regina was laughing quietly, but laughing none-the-less. Emma grinned, so relieved to see Regina looking more like herself even if Emma had made herself sound like an idiot in the process. Emma immediately began searching through her memories for more material. “One time, I got chased out of this town because the headman was convinced I’d used magic to seduce his daughter.”

Regina’s eyes crinkled at the edges, “And had you?”

“Well, I hadn’t used magic to do anything, if that’s what you’re asking…” Emma replied with a smirk. “She was more than impressed by my battle scars and roguish good looks.”

“Uh-huh,” Regina replied with an eye roll. “Did she know that scar on your arm was from you walking into a weapons rack and having it fall on you?”

Emma scowled, forgetting she had told Regina that, “I told her it came from a spear, if she thought someone else was holding the spear at the time…” She gave a shrug and wink.

Regina smiled, settling more comfortably on the pillows and propping up her head with one hand. “Please, do tell me more about all the people you’ve charmed under dubious pretenses.”

“Hey, they weren’t all dubious. One time, I came across this town where a dragon had captured a man and a woman. Long story short, I managed to impress both of them very honestly. At the same time,” she added, in case she hadn’t been clear enough, waggling her eyebrows for extra effect. “If you catch my meaning.”

That got a real, full laugh from Regina, “Oh, this I have to hear more about. Do tell.”

Emma cycled through her funny stories faster than she would have liked, but Regina didn’t seem to mind as she moved on to more adventurous stories instead of purely comical ones. Regina was a captive audience unlike any other Emma has known the few times she’s told stories about her life before. Surprisingly, despite the urge to impress the older woman, she mostly found herself spilling everything, without embellishment or brushoffs. And Regina listened. Really listened in a way Emma couldn’t remember anyone ever listening to her in her entire life. She wasn’t sure what to make of the feelings that stirred up at that realization.

Regina started speaking up more as well, adding her own stories every once in a while. Both still needed to clarify their world for the other, but they got a lot without explanations, understanding each other’s motivations with an ease that would surprise them if either stopped and let themselves think about it.

Eventually they reach a lull in the conversation following a story of an elderly man who had given Emma a baby with the belief that all women instinctively knew how to handle them (hint: they don’t) and Regina had followed that up with some of her mishaps with baby Henry.

Regina ran a hand through her hair, belatedly realizing how well Emma had pulled her from her mood and distracted her from her trying day.

Still she couldn’t keep inside one of her recurring thoughts from listening to all the stories of Emma’s life, “I don’t know how you can stand living like that, dear. It seems so precarious and dangerous.” She can still remember how beaten up Emma had been after the fight with the ogres. Even recently there had been little injuries she didn’t mention and Regina had followed her lead, but she had noticed. Almost every “work” story Emma told ended with some injury or another and Regina couldn’t help the concern that welled up each time. “I can see that you’ve made as much as you could with what you have—better than most would in your situation and certainly far better than I would have, but still…”

“I know,” Emma admitted. “It wasn’t so bad when I was a younger. The excitement made up for a lot and it was so much better than the other options, but I’m getting older.” She saw Regina nod out of the corner of her eye and took a deep breath.

“Actually…” she began, noticing that Regina seemed to sense that Emma was going to say something important. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Since I know I have magic now and with everything that’s been going on, that it’s time to make some big changes in my life.”

Regina hummed her agreement, “That seems sensible. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I was thinking I might try and come to your world,” Emma admitted aloud for the first time. “To stay.”

Regina sat bolt upright, turning to face the other woman. “What? Can you do that?”

Emma shrugged, “Not really sure, to be honest. Travel between worlds isn’t unheard of, just rare. And I managed this much, yeah? Projection is actually less common. The hard part mainly seems to be controlling what world and time you end up in. Part of the spell that comes with this seems like it would help with direction and controlling where I would end up.”

“I see,” Regina said, her brow furrowed. “And you’d want to come here?”

Emma blinked, “Yeah, sure. This world seems pretty great. You’ve got magic everyone can use. You have your lack of war and your medicine and everything is so clean. I think I’d come for the bathrooms—toilet and showers—alone.” Regina was nodding along, but maybe it was just because Emma had spent so much time with her and they’d gotten rather close tonight, she thought she saw a hint of disappointment in the brunette’s eyes. “And of course, you’re here.”

Regina blinked, surprised. “Me? I’m a reason?”

Emma gave her an incredulous look. “Well, yeah. You’re a pretty big reason. I like talking to you and spending time together. We’re friends, right?”

“Of course!” Regina replied automatically. “I just didn’t think that would be enough…”

“Well, think again,” Emma said. “Henry too. There’s no one in my world I’m close to and we just talked about how shit my world is and how awesome yours is. So yeah, I’m gonna try to get there.”

“Alright. I’d offer to help if I thought I could. We can continue try to translate some of those passages.” They’d started a bit, enough to identify the languages, but had gotten distracted or ran out of time. Regina belatedly glanced at the clock and noticed that this was the longest Emma had ever stayed.

“Thanks,” Emma said. “I’m sure I’ll need lots of help once I get there.”

“True. When you manage to make your way here, you’ll stay with me,” Regina announced decisively. “Then I can help you get a job.”

“I don’t think it’ll be a quick process to get money in your world,” Emma warned, worried Regina for once wasn’t thinking something through.

“It won’t,” Regina acknowledged evenly. “But I insist you stay as long as you need to. Understood, Miss Swan?”

Emma recognized the determined glint in Regina’s eyes and smiled. “Yes, Madame Mayor.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, its a pet peeve of mine where Regina's personality is the same or similar in AUs but her backstory doesn't match at all.


	6. Around Town

Emma peered around cautiously. She hardly ever showed up in the other world without some comment from Regina within the first few seconds of her arrival.

She frowned after a minute, wondering where Regina herself could be. She had to be close by—they’d already established that Emma didn’t always appear in Regina’s study, she appeared wherever Regina herself was. Since this was Regina’s bedroom, she expected the other woman was simply in another room close by. She glanced out the window and determined that it was early in the morning.

A noise caught her attention from behind a door that was open just enough for her to squeeze through. While Emma was glad she could feel parts of this world—just enough to sit down was a blessing, but she couldn’t actually move anything or pass through solid objects like she used to, only people, which occasionally caused its own problems.

Emma frowned as she sidled through, wondering why there was mist inside the house. She soon got her answer as she realized a couple things very quickly.

One: she was in a bathroom, evident by the tiles, mirror, and other fixtures.

Two: Regina had just been using the shower. This was obvious as soon as she laid eyes on Regina herself.

Emma froze next to the door, staring at the absolute vision Regina made. Her hair was darkened by the water and slicked back, droplets still made their way down her skin, and she was only wearing a purple towel that covered her from the tops of her breasts to high on her thigh. The older woman had more skin on display than Emma had ever seen and it was mesmerizing.

Emma thanked the gods that Regina hadn’t noticed her yet as she was looking through a drawer so Emma could look just that much longer. Never had she wished she could reach out and touch the other woman more than now, with her hands, her lips...

Naturally, that was when Regina looked into the mirror. She frowned briefly before reaching a hand to wipe the condensation away. Her eyes widened as she identified Emma, causing her to spin around. Her surprise had morphed quickly into amusement as she raised an eyebrow at the frozen blonde, “Really, Miss Swan? My bathroom? Do I no longer have any privacy?”

“I’m so sorry, Regina. Really,” Emma protested, holding her hands up in surrender. “I swear I didn’t mean—” It was then that she noticed the mischievous glint in the brunette’s eyes. She’d been so convinced Regina would be angry that she totally missed that she wasn’t. She scowled as Regina chuckled. “Not funny. I thought you were pissed at me,” Emma complained.

Regina tilted her head, “Would you rather I actually be angry with you?”

“Well, no. Still—not nice to freak me out like that.”

“My apologies,” Regina said as she belatedly checked to make sure her towel was secure. She didn’t care about a little skin, especially since it wasn’t any more than she’d reveal in a bathing suit, but that didn’t mean she wanted to show much more off. Although, Emma’s eyes did look a shade darker than usual, she noticed, sending some heat rushing through her veins that had nothing to do with her hot shower.

Emma unconsciously licked her lips and Regina had to drag her eyes away from the motion. This was not a productive line of thought, she told herself sternly. “You don’t normally come in the morning.”

Emma blinked out of her lustful haze, “Yeah, well. Light is important for traveling—we don’t all have magical fires that never burn out. Plus, I don’t normally like to make my job more difficult than it already is by hunting bandits or monsters in the dark.”

Regina bobbed her head in understanding, “I can see your point. So why the change today?”

Emma sighed, leaning back against the wall, as she tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t result in a scolding to look after herself better.

Regina examined the other woman more closely. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, but it was messy, like she’d done it a while ago and not had time to fix it since. Her clothes too looked worse for wear more so than usual, new tears in her vest and mud decorating her pants. Emma’s eyes were mildly bloodshot and her skin pale.

“You look tired,” Regina said gently.

“Thanks a lot,” Emma grumbled. At Regina’s pointed look, she sighed. “I may have been up most of the night.”

“Hm, I thought so.” Reina gave her an assessing look. “Why don’t you take a nap and join me in the afternoon. Since it's Friday, I get out of work on the early side. Henry’s been asking about you,” she added, hoping it might persuade Emma just that extra bit.

“He has?” Emma eyes lit up, always flattered by the boy’s attention. She’d appeared a few more times and gotten to see him. Even with Regina having to act as a go-between hadn’t slowed them down from forming a solid friendship. She looked down guiltily, “I’ve only had free time at night after he’s asleep.”

“I know, dear,” Regina reassured her, hating the way she had to stop herself from laying a hand on Emma’s nonexistent arm. “He understands.”

Emma smiled back, “A nap sounds like a great plan really. I’m in a safe spot I can hole up in for a few days with the supplies I have.”

“Good.” Regina nodded decisively. “Join us after you’ve rested. I’m sure doing magic while you’re exhausted isn’t good.”

“Probably not,” Emma admitted. She sighed, pulling her hair out of its loose braid and running her fingers through it. “Alright. I’ll see you then.”

Regina was oddly fascinated with the motion, had she ever seen Emma with her hair down? She quickly checked back into the conversation and smiled softly, “Goodbye.”

“Night,” Emma said with a small wry smile that Regina returned.

Emma had long suspected it took a few seconds longer for her to stop seeing the other world than it took Regina to stop seeing her. This was confirmed as Regina turned away from Emma, loosening her towel to dry off better. Emma still only got a glimpse of her upper back (the mirror having fogged up while they spoke) before she too lost sight of her. At least she now had plenty of inspiration for good dreams.

-x-x-x-

Emma shook her head, trying to clear the fog that always came with her projection. As she looked around, she realized she was in what appeared to be a large meeting room of some kind. She’d tried to time her trip correctly, fixing up some of her things before heading to visit Regina since she didn’t want to interrupt her work. She’d been unable to wait too long though and it seemed she was a bit early.

She was near the back of the room, standing in a corner. There was a large oval table in the center of the room made of dark wood and nearly every seat was filled. Men and women in clothes similar to those Regina called her work clothes (although none looked as good as she did in them) were seated and another woman was standing at the other end of the room in front of some graphs and talking to the assembled group.

She seemed to be just finishing her talk, “… This concludes my presentation on the need for a deputy.”

Emma had only had a few seconds to begin to wonder where Regina was when a low smooth voice came from near the head of the table. “Thank you, Sheriff Fa. We will take these concerns under careful consideration.” The woman nodded and took her seat.

Regina smoothly rose from her seat and took her place behind the podium. Instead of her usual blouse-skirt combo, Regina had on a suit, complete with a stripped vest. Emma took her in with leisurely appreciation—Regina could explain all she wanted, but the way she commanded the room proved that she was a queen.

“The final matter on our agenda for today is any questions or concerns about the final leg of our technological improvement project.” Ah, Regina’s pet project, no wonder she was dressed for battle. Emma remembered Regina’s complaints about certain council members who challenged her and the program’s validity. She scanned those assembled and wondered who those might be. “You all received the quarterly report and have had adequate time to review it. I can address any inquiries now.”

Emma watched with fascination as Regina dominated the meeting. Those who had genuine questions she treated fairly, answering as fully as she could. But when one of those Emma recognized as someone who was just trying to make trouble or purposefully trip her up, Regina was sharp and condescending, quickly putting the unfortunate man or woman back in their place. It was particularly pleasing to watch when someone, ill intent or not, asked a question which apparently was covered in the papers she had given them.

She would then move on, leaving the person in the dust. She was always careful to promise to look into the questions she didn’t have the specifics to answer at the moment, but that happened rarely and the question often concerned side or minor details.

Emma was confident that when the meeting ended, the men and women filing out or stopping to ask Regina any final questions, no one who had wanted to make Regina look foolish had succeed in the slightest. After the last few had filed out, Emma clapped as she walked over to where Regina was gathering her papers. Regina lifted a brow at Emma’s behavior. “Very impressive, Madame Mayor.” Emma gave a little bow. “You’ll never convince me you aren’t a queen now.”

Regina suppressed a pleased blush. “You are obviously easily impressed, my dear.”

“I’m impressed by you—I wouldn’t call that easily,’ Emma replied easily, with a cheeky grin.

Regina rolled her eyes, “Flattery will get you nowhere, Miss Swan.”

“I’m serious, those guys didn’t know what hit them. And I couldn’t follow everything you were saying but everyone could tell that you knew exactly what you were doing.”

“I’m glad you thought so.” Regina said as she slid the last few papers in her folders and put those into her bag. She looked around the room, making sure she had everything and no one else had left anything, before giving a nod of satisfaction.

As they went to leave the room, Regina exclaimed, “Oh, I almost forgot.” She began rifling through her bag and drew out a small black object with satisfaction.

“What’s that?” Emma asked curiously.

“It’s a Bluetooth headset.”

“It’s not blue though and I don’t think that would fit on your head.” Emma said, ignoring the “tooth” part.

Regina rolled her eyes, “It’s just the name and it doesn’t go on my head, it goes on my ear.” She fiddled with the device and her ear. Sure enough, when she took her hands away, the device was now affixed to her ear.

“What is it?” Emma looked at the black object with the fascination she always had when it came to this world’s magic.

“Normally, it works with a cell phone and allows you to still hear and talk to someone, leaving your hands free.”

“Oh. And you need to cell phone someone now while carrying something?”

“No. It’s so that I can talk to you, Miss Swan.” Emma just stared at her. Regina sighed and elaborated, “Whenever you show up and we talk, unless I’m at my home, I look as though I’m having a conversation with nothing. In my world, with no magic, I look deranged. I’d like to avoid rumors that I’m losing my mind if I can help it. I won’t turn on the Bluetooth, but other people will see me wearing it and assume I’m talking on the phone.”

“Oh, wow. That’s really smart.”

Regina looked smug, “Of course it is. I thought of it after all.”

“Yeah, after weeks of me showing up,” Emma rolled her eyes and went to nudge the other woman with her elbow only for her arm to go straight through her as it always did. She swallowed her disappointment, especially since Regina hadn’t even noticed the failed action, and carried on, “Maybe you’re not that smart after all.”

Regina just smirked, “You are free to continue telling yourself that, Miss Swan. I believe we both know the truth.”

“How can you even fit through the door with a head that big?” Emma teased.

Regina pointedly ignored her.

-x-x-x-

Henry had been practically vibrating with excitement ever since Regina had picked him up from afterschool and informed him that Emma was with her.

Since it was Friday, and Regina didn’t like having to cook after a long week of work, they ate at Granny’s. Emma had been here once or twice, but typically only when Regina was picking up coffee in the morning. She looked around with interest, fascinated by the cleanliness of the eating establishments, and everywhere really, in Regina’s world.

The brunettes went over to a booth in the corner and slid in. After a moment’s deliberation, Emma chose to sit next to Henry, something that made the boy grin when Regina told him.

“So, you can get food here?” Emma asked, always up for one of Regina’s explanations.

Regina relayed Emma’s question to Henry before answering, “Yes. They give us the menus with the lists of the food they have and what they cost. Then a waiter or waitress comes over and you tell them what you want. They bring the food out to you later and finally you pay before you leave.”

“You can get ice cream here too!” Henry added.

Emma nodded along, smiling at the boy even though he couldn’t see. “You can get food at tavern’s here, but they have a lot less food to pick from, you pay first, you bring your own mug, and they mostly only have alcohol to drink.”

Regina repeated what Emma had said to a fascinated Henry. “Wow.”

“Why don’t you tell us about your day, Henry?”

That was all Henry needed to launch into a detailed explanation of his day as he looked back and forth between Regina and the, to him, empty space next to him. Regina smiled and nodded in all the right places, communicating Emma’s comments when necessary as she looked over the menu.

Regina didn’t even notice the smile that spread across her face as she watched Emma listen intently to her son talk, the way her eyes softened. The way Emma treated Henry, listened to him, never ceased to make her feel more content and peaceful than she had in years. A pang ran through her though, as she once more translated for Emma, at the thought that Emma should be _here_ , with them for real instead of as a ghost.

She shook herself from those thoughts, knowing it did her no good to dwell on such things when she couldn’t do anything, but wait and hope—if only she wasn’t so terrible at both of those things.

A brunette with a red streak in her hair greeted the small family, walking up to their table, “Hello, Henry, Madame Mayor,”

“Hi, Ruby!”

“Hello, Miss Lucas. How are you today?” Regina said, flashing the younger woman a smile. She turned back to her menu quickly and missed Ruby’s blush.

“I’m good, thanks. What can I get for you two today? Drinks?”

“I’m good with water, dear. Henry will have milk.”

“Can I get chocolate milk? Please, Mom, please,” Henry looked imploringly at his mother.

“Very well, sweetheart,” Regina smiled at her son. “Chocolate milk for Henry.”

“You got it,” Ruby said. “Are you ready to order food now too?”

“Yes, I think we are. Henry?” She inclined her head at the boy and Ruby turned towards him.

“I’ll have chicken nuggets and fries, please,” Henry asked politely.

Regina raised an eyebrow, “He’ll have chicken tenders and mixed vegetables.” Henry grumbled and pouted, but didn’t say anything. Emma smiled at the obvious routine. “I’ll have the Asian chicken salad, dressing on the side.”

“Sure thing, Madame Mayor,” Ruby replied with a smile and a wink.

“Ohh, she likes you,” Emma teased, staring after Ruby. “She thinks you’re hot. She wants to court you.”

“Oh, do hush up,” Regina replied automatically.

“What is it?” Henry asked eagerly. “What did Emma say?”

“She’s just being silly,” Regina said with a dismissive wave. When Henry continued staring at her, she elaborated, “She claims Miss Lucas thinks I’m pretty.”

Henry frowned, “But you are pretty.”

“Yeah, Regina,” Emma parroted. “But you _are_ pretty.”

Regina ignored the blonde and smiled warmly at the boy. “Thank you, dear.”

“Emma’s already been to our house, and my school, and your work,” Henry said, ticking off each place on his fingers, “We should show her around the rest of the town.”

Regina shared a look with Emma. “Miss Swan does have the whole evening free…”

“Yeah,” Emma said with a smile at both of them, “I’d love to.”

Once Regina communicated this to Henry, he cheered, “Can we show Emma the grocery store next, Mom? Oh! Oh! And then the park! She can see the swings and the slide and the monkey bars and—”


	7. Transcending

Regina was working from home for the day, the construction across the street made getting anything done in her mayoral office impossible. She had just fixed herself lunch when she felt the sensation that let her know Emma was nearby. She headed off to the study with her sandwich and found the blonde woman crouched in the middle of the room looking more transparent than usual.

“Hello, Miss Swan,” she said, the smile evident in her voice at her friend’s visit.

"Hey,” Emma looked up with a wide, almost reckless, grin, “Today is the day.”

“Is it?” Regina replied causally, sensing the good mood the other woman was in and being in a similarly good mood herself. “And what day might that be?”

“Well,” Emma rubbed her hands together with nervous excitement. “Hopefully, the day I come to you—your world, I mean.”

Regina nearly choked on her water, “What, really?” She hadn’t thought the other woman was so close to gathering all the ingredients and perfecting her translation and pronunciation of the spell yet.

Emma nodded, “Yup, got the final ingredient. Heart of the one you hate the most.”

“Literally?” Regina asked, curiosity and horror mingling in her voice.

“Sort of.” Emma shrugged and picked something up. A glowing anatomically correct heart, as though someone had taken one from a doctor’s office or a health classroom and made it light up red, now in her hand. “Magically. You can take out someone’s heart with magic. Let’s you control them when you hold it. If you crush it, you kill them.”

“Naturally,” Regina replied, looking a bit disturbed underneath the veneer of sarcasm. “Whose heart are you using?”

“Pirate’s,” Emma grunted as she placed the heart down and moved some things Regina couldn’t see into position. “He’s a jackass who’s pastimes include drinking heavily and refusing to hear the word ‘no’. Got fixated on me, personally. Probably because I was very vocal about my dislike of him and he couldn’t figure out how to _make_ me say ‘yes’—even drugged me the last time we were at the same tavern. If my friend hadn’t been the bartender and noticed—.” Emma shook her head, “Disgusting.”

Regina’s face had hardened as Emma spoke. “Sounds like the world is better off without him.”

“Yes. I either had to wait for him to dock or find some other rarer ingredients and do this whole ritual sacrifice thing that was super complicated.”

Regina bit back a comment about how this seemed complicated enough as it was. “What is this going to look like in the end?”

“Bright green smoke that will swallow me up and transport me to your world.”

“Where in my world are you supposed to appear? Where you are now?” Regina wanted to know all she could, she wanted to be ready to finally help and be ready to go pick Emma up if she could.

“It wasn’t really clear about that,” Emma replied distractedly, now holding a crude paintbrush and drawing some sort of design on the ground that Regina also couldn’t see—a fact that was beginning to frustrate her. Regina hated being in the dark and being unable to help more than anything.

“So you mean to say you could appear in the middle of the ocean?” Regina asked, instantly deciding as soon as the words left her mouth that she did not want to know the answer.

“I guess.” Emma gave a cheeky grin, “Here’s hoping not though.”

“Miss Swan!”

Emma laughed, “Sorry, you just make it too easy.”

“Honestly, how old are you, Miss Swan?”

Emma just grinned. “I should appear on land, don’t worry. And within a certain distance of you, but the geography isn’t clear. Especially since different worlds are, well, different. I should appear within the closest one tenth of the world to you. I think.”

“You fill me with such confidence,” Regina replied dryly.

“I know, right?” Emma flashed her another reckless grin before focusing back on her drawing.

“And should you be using up magic right now, visiting me like that?” Regina asked, more obviously nervous than Emma was even though she wasn’t the one casting the spell.

“Any magic I use for this spell right now will just feed back into the final spell since it’s the simpler version of it,” Emma explained, not looking up from drawing on the ground. “Other spells though, yeah—waste of magic.”

“What exactly _is_ required to cast this spell?” Regina knew bits and pieces, having helped Emma translate and having heard of Emma’s recent journey’s to find ingredients, but she didn’t have the whole picture.

“I’m glad you asked,” Emma said with a proud smile as she straightened up, cracked her back, and put the paint brush down—causing it to vanish from Regina’s sight. “First, you have to travel to this cliff—supposedly mystic and magical and stuff. Which took me like a whole day to get to, might I add.” Regina couldn’t help but shake her head at Emma’s continual casual attitude towards everything—even world jumping spells.

“Next, using red pigment made from clay and a bit of your own blood. That part was a blast.” She held up her left arm that had a fresh bandage wrapped around it. “Anyway, where was I? Right, make the paint and use it to draw this complicated pentagram that I would show you if I could.”

“Next you build a fire at the center with the wood from an oak tree, a willow tree, a beech tree, a fir tree, and an elm tree.” She began picking up branches for each of the trees she mentioned, as she clearly knelt building the fire. “Then you have to light it with magic.”

Emma concentrated and made a gesture with her hand, sparking the kindling. Regina saw the brief flare of light in Emma’s eyes.

“Now we combine the final ingredients in the heat of the fire.” Emma said, moving to get a basket or bag, returning with it, before setting it down.

“Feather from an eagle, a crow, an owl, and a raven.” Each feather caused a puff of red smoke to rise from the fire.

“Hair from those with the darkest of souls.” The fire hissed loudly, darkening, as the hair vanished.

“A blank page from an old magic book,” The fire popped and sparked as it enveloped the offering.

“The ribbon from a hatter’s hat.” The flames surged upward as they accepted the fabric, turning green.

“Water from Lake Nostos.” The flames sank as the vial of water was poured on them, sizzling.

“An item of personal significance.” At that point she, with reluctant determination dropped in another ribbon, this time purple, and the fire grew brighter.

“And lastly, the heart of the one you hate the most.” The heart caused a jet of flame, bright green, to shoot up high in the sky, the light of it bright enough to illuminate Emma with green light even to Regina.

“Finally, I have to channel as much magic as I can into the fire,” Emma turned toward the ground, about in the middle of the two women. She cupped her hands together, as if she held a ball only a little bigger than her hands could comfortably fit around.

Emma frowned in concentration, focusing on what she wanted her magic to do and why, the emotion she needed for this to work. Luckily, with Regina right there, it was easy to think of both.

Slowly, blue light began to gather there: Emma’s magic. Regina watched in awe as the light grew and then Emma took a step closer to the fire and opened her hands.

Magic began to flow from the woman and into the fire, her hands on either side and over the flames.

“Is it working?” Regina asked after a moment of concentration and constant feeding of magic into the fire, frustrated she couldn’t see anything of Emma’s world besides the woman herself and a few wisps of green smoke.

“Almost…” Emma’s frown deepened, stray frustration creeping into her voice, “I just need a little more magic.”

“How can you get more?” Regina asked, stepping closer so that the two were just on either side of the fire.

“I have an idea that might work…” Emma said, thinking about the part of the spell she’d tried not to think too hard about. The part she’d mentioned the first time they’d met that Regina seemed to have forgotten about. The spell was supposed to bring you to your heart’s desire, no matter how far it might be. The more translating they’d done of the book, the more it pointed to that meaning only one thing. True love.

“What is it?” Regina asked, anxious and eager for this to succeed.

“Hold still.” Emma said, leaning carefully over the pulsing fire, her hands still sending glowing energy into the fire in a thin stream.

“Ho—?” Regina began before she was cut off by Emma coming up close enough to kiss her. And then she did. Ghostly lips fitted over her own. At first Regina felt the slight coolness she associated with Emma’s presence, until, for only a couple of seconds, it felt like real lips—flesh and blood and warmth—were against her own before the sensation vanished.

Regina opened her eyes, barely being aware of closing them to find a completely empty room, not even the image of Emma remaining.


	8. Here

The bell rang to announce another diner had arrived, followed by a brief dip in the sound of talk as people realized this wasn’t someone they knew. A stranger. The volume of talk rose as the new woman walked to the counter, a number of far too curious townspeople watching her from the corners of their eyes.

She had on tight skinny jeans tucked into brown lace-up boots, a blue leather jacket, and blonde curls tumbling around her shoulders. She glanced around with wry amusement as people tried to pretend they weren’t watching her. She headed to the counter, sat on a stool, and pushed her sunglasses up into her hair revealing blue-green eyes.

Ruby rushed over, nearly spilling the coffee she’d been pouring for a couple at one of the booths in her haste to greet the newcomer and extract any information she could.

“Hello!” she said as she slid in front of the blonde, silently trying to analyze anything she could about her. Right now all she had was that the woman was very attractive, seemed rather badass, and was probably in her late twenties. “My name’s Ruby. Anything I can get you?”

“Hey,” Emma said, looking the waitress over, enjoying finally being perceived by the other woman, before smiling. She’d planned on just heading straight for Regina, but belatedly realized she didn’t know the other woman’s address. “I’d love a cup of coffee.”

“Sure, no problem. Long drive?”

Emma chuckled at the obvious fishing for information and Ruby flushed. “You could say that. Hard place to find, this town.”

Ruby was knocked out of her starry-eyed appreciation for something new and interesting at the implication. “You were _looking_ for Storybrooke?” Skepticism was heavy in her tone.

Emma nodded, “Yup, looking for _someone_ more specifically. Old friend. She’s being difficult, as always.” She looked more impressed and fond than annoyed.

Ruby’s eyebrows raised, her juicy gossip senses tingling, “I know just about everyone in town,” she slid a fresh cup over to the blonde. “I’d be happy to point you in the right direction, ...?”

Emma hummed into the well-made coffee, “Oh, Emma. Emma Swan.”

Ruby nodded, “Well, I’ll try to help if I can. The thing is,” she’d started to narrow a vague list of who it might be, but she wasn’t getting anywhere. “Most people don’t leave town—and if they do, they normally only come back for the holidays. And we don’t get that many new people.”

Emma laughed again, “Yeah, I can tell.” She jerked her head to indicate the still gossiping diners, all of whom promptly looked away.

Ruby laughed and shrugged, “What can I say? Anything’s news when nothing happens.”

“Oh, so now I’m news? Just for showing up at the local diner. Doesn’t anyone just drive through here?”

“Not really,” Ruby answered, “Nowhere to drive through to.”

“Right, well—” Emma began, but was interrupted by the bell chiming behind her. She felt compelled to turn around and so she glanced up, almost annoyed, but knowing by now it was in her best interests to listen to her instincts.

A brunette was walking in, her face turned down to her phone, but she began to look up as she crossed the room. Green eyes met brown and both widened, although the brunette looked considerably more shocked.

Emma breathed out heavily, relief and satisfaction coursing through her.

“Emma?” Regina asked, feeling as though she must be seeing things again. She took in the woman who simultaneously looked so familiar and so different. Emma had always been dressed in dull colors—brown, worn green, off-white, black—seeing her in the blue jacket, red shirt, and tight fitting blue jeans was like suddenly seeing her in color, especially emphasized with her blonde hair in curls around her shoulders instead of pulled back; she was even more breathtaking than she had been before. More than anything, she seemed _real_.

Emma hopped down from her stool, her hands going to her pockets, as she took in the woman she’d been looking for with eager eyes. “Hey, Regina. Long time, no see,” she smirked, she’d never seen Regina so caught off guard—not even the time she’d stumbled upon the older woman getting dressed. “Miss me?”

“How—? When—?” Regina clearly had no idea where to start although she took another step closer.

Emma shrugged, stepping closer as well, “Been in Boston for the last several days, getting my bearings. Then I had to find you, and let me say, this town is very hard to find. But I got here, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Regina said dryly, finally recovered enough to pull her usual attitude together. “Well, what do you think now that you’re here?”

Emma’s eyes sparkled. “I think I made the right choice.”

“Hm. And have you planned this next part out ahead at all?” Regina asked with raised brows, still trying to bring some semblance of order to her scrambled thoughts.

“A bit. Quit my job. Got all my stuff in my car. The next part is on you. That offer to let me stay with you still hold?”

“I never go back on my word, soldier. You know that.”

“I suppose I do.”

Regina looked around her to the wide-eyed brunette behind the counter. “Miss Lucas? Make my usual to go, please.”

Then she pulled out her phone. When Emma opened her mouth to ask what she was doing, Regina simply held up an imperious finger for silence, “Hello? Yes, Ms Hood. Please see to it that all of my appointments are postponed for the rest of the day. Until Monday.” Her eyes were fixed on Emma as she said, “A personal matter has come up that requires my full attention.” Emma smirked in response, confidence flooding through her. “You may have the rest of the day off as well. Yes, Marian—paid. Very good. Good day.”

“You didn’t have to cancel your whole day, you know,” Emma pointed out.

“Of course, I didn’t.” She said as she accepted the bag from Ruby, who was still staring at the women like she’d never seen either of them before in her life. “Thank you, Miss Lucas. Keep the change. You’ll come with me, Miss Swan.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The gravity of the reply was ruined by the shit-eating grin on the blonde’s face. She draped an arm over Regina’s shoulders as they left together and the brunette didn’t seem to mind the rather possessive gesture, much to the confusion and shock of the rest of the town’s inhabitants. In fact, it was hard for Regina to stop from pressing closer now that she could finally touch the other woman. That thought took her mind in an interesting direction.

Emma was here. Here. And not just visually. She was physically next to her and she could feel her strong arm, its warmth and weight, over her shoulders. All the thoughts she’d had over the past two weeks, worries about what had happened, Henry’s questions, her fears, and finally all the things she’d promised herself that she would do or say if—when—she saw the other woman again. That last moment between them shone brightly in her mind, demanding attention more strongly each second since she’d laid eyes on the other woman.

Emma’s thoughts raced as well, echoing Regina’s own in her wonder and delight that she was able to reach out and touch the older woman, pull her closer, feel her. All the confusion of waking up in this strange world, trying to make sense of the memories her spell had given her—days spent in an apartment with crippling headaches. Trying to interact with the city she’d found herself in and then searching for Regina’s town which was far too difficult to find. But she made it. For once, everything had worked out and she was here with Regina.

Once they got out of the diner, Emma pulled them to a halt. Regina turned to look at her in confusion and found the other woman’s face quite close to her own. “Yes?”

“We never really finished our last conversation.” Emma observed, her eyes darting to Regina’s red lips in case there was any confusion over what she was referring to.

“Oh?” Regina said, in her most nonchalant and lofty tone. “Was there something else you had meant to say?”

“Not exactly,” Emma said casually, before she turned to face Regina more fully, their faces staying close together. Her gaze grew intent as she murmured, “Only felt real for a second and then I was gone. And now I’m finally here.”

“Yes, you are. And what are you going to do about that?” Regina challenged.

Emma smirked, their faces scarcely an inch apart, before she closed even that miniscule distance. Despite the heat between them, the first brush of lips was tentative, as if they were still worried this might be a dream or they might still be unable to touch, even with the contact they already had.

After a few seconds, both seemingly felt reassured enough to press closer, mouths opening as they tried to fit together. Regina’s arms wrapped around Emma’s neck, a hand burying itself in her hair while Emma’s hand moved from Regina’s shoulder to the middle of her back and her other arm encircled the brunette’s waist. Regina had dropped her bag of takeout at some point and she used the hand not in Emma’s curls to move up and down her back, stroking, grounding herself to the reality of Emma’s presence. Both clutched the other closer as they gloried in the way their bodies felt finally touching.

They pulled apart at last, with a series of fleeting kisses, only retreating far enough to speak and breathe easier, foreheads touching.

“What now?” Emma asked, panting lightly.

“ _Now_ ,” Regina replied, her voice raspier than Emma had ever heard it, instantly sending shivers through her body. “We go back to my house and …” Her eyes darkened visibly, “…occupy ourselves until it’s time to pick Henry up from school. Any idea as to how we might pass the time?”

Emma grinned, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Oh, I’m full of ideas.”


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 bonus scenes within the first few days of Emma coming to town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of these ideas I had even before I fleshed out the rest of the story. The story really did end last chapter and these aren't really a coherent chapter--just some bonus scenes I thought up. Hope you enjoy!

**Bonus 1: Emma meets Henry**

Regina had insisted they get out of the car as they waited for school to let out. Emma may have teased her about the older woman’s lack of faith in their ability to keep their hands to themselves if she hadn’t secretly agreed. After so long being unable to touch each other, she’d thought they would have better self-control—or maybe that was why they had so little.

Emma leaned back against the sleek black car, looking around the parking lot for the second time, and found it far more interesting in the flesh. Some of the parents were waiting in their cars, but some were standing beside them as well.

Regina noticed the way Emma’s eyes darted around and the way she started to fidget. Frowning, she put a hand on the blonde’s arm and gave a reassuring squeeze.

“It’s going to be fine,” Regina reassured the uncharacteristically nervous woman. “You’ve already met Henry.”

“It’s not the same,” Emma insisted, running her hand through her hair and distracting Regina who had found that she loved Emma’s hair down—especially when she could play with it. “Me as your imaginary friend is different than an actual woman coming to live with him.”

“Emma, it will be fine,” Regina repeated firmly. “He knew what you were trying to do so he knew that you might be coming.”

“Yeah, but we didn’t know if it would actually work,” Emma protested. Henry was the most important thing to Regina and Emma loved that about her, but that also meant that if something went wrong with him, it was probably over for them. And she liked Henry. He was a really cool, smart kid. She wanted him to like her. “It was more likely it wouldn’t.”

“Henry believed it would,” Regina explained patiently. “He believed in you. He was sure when I told him about you trying the spell and vanishing and that I hadn’t heard from you, that meant it worked and that it would only be a matter of time until you showed up.” she gave Emma a smile, “In fact, he scolded me for not giving you our phone number so you could call.”

“Really?” Emma asked, the corners of her mouth turning up. She had cursed herself for not doing that as well when she was finally getting her head on straight a few days ago—not that she had really known to ask.

“Really.” Regina ran a hand down Emma’s arm before squeezing her hand. “He asks every few days if I’ve heard anything, but he never gets discouraged. He just comes up with complicated theories about why you’re not here yet.”

Emma laughed, “Yeah, he would do that, wouldn’t he?”

“So it will be fine. He’ll be thrilled you’re finally here.” Regina could see her words were helping and she loved that Emma cared enough about Henry to be worried about this, even if she hoped she’d been able to communicate just how unnecessary that worry was. “We’ll pick him up and head home. I’ll make a special dinner—lasagna since you should both like that. Then we’ll play a board game or watch a movie. Henry will go up to bed and then I was thinking we could too.”

Emma’s eyes darkened in response to Regina’s suggestive tease and grinned, “Sounds perfect.”

Emma was beginning to think being out of the car wasn’t going to stop either of them from acting inappropriately and so she groped for a distraction. “So how will Henry find us?” Emma asked, looking around at all the cars in the parking lot, many of them similar to Regina’s.

Regina waved off her concern, “I always park in this spot, so Henry always knows where to find me.”

Emma nodded, trust Regina to have a plan for every occasion, but she couldn’t help pointing out, “But how can you know that you’ll always be able to get it?”

Regina’s eyes flashed with a mild threat although the rest of her face remained casual, “It is common knowledge that I always park here.”

Emma studied her before the implication came to her, “Oh my god, something happened, didn’t it?” Emma looked thrilled by this new development, “And you totally scared everyone else away from parking here, right?”

“Ms. Blanchard should have known better than to park in my spot,” Regina replied, her surprise and pleasure that Emma knew her so well making her repentance seem lacking. “Henry was only five and he got very confused. Regardless, she should have been parked with the teachers and she cries easily.”

Emma laughed, a full deep belly laugh that made it hard for Regina not to give in and join her. Neither of the women noticed that two of the parents closest to them were giving them strange looks—how often had the mayor brought someone else with her to pick her son up? (Never.) And someone who looked so normal and was evidently laughing at something the mayor had said? (Unheard of.)

“I bet if you went away on a trip and the whole town knew, everyone would still avoid this spot like the plague.” Regina merely shrugged modestly as Emma’s laughter faded as she looked at the other woman with something like pride and fondness, “That’s great. I love your evil side.”

“I noticed,” Regina replied with a smirk, bringing both back to how they’d been passing the time until now in Regina’s house and bedroom. Emma leaned forward, space between the women evaporating as they quickly forgot where they were.

The moment was interrupted when kids began streaming from the building. Emma reluctantly pulled away—although not too far—as Regina looked toward the entrance of the school.

Regina spotted Henry first as he came trotting out with his blue backpack on over his uniform, a shoe box clasped in his hands. She moved around the front of the car to greet him, while Emma hung back, her nerves returning despite her best efforts.

“Mom! Mom!” Henry said once he got close enough. “Guess what? I got an A on my diorama!” He proudly held out his box.

“That’s wonderful, Henry!” Regina said as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a one-armed hug. “I know you worked very hard on it.”

“Thanks,” he replied, beaming up at his mother.

“Now, I have a surprise for you,” Regina said.

His face lit up. “Really?”

“Yes,” she replied beckoning Emma around to the other side of the car. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Henry’s eyes grew large as his mind instantly jumped to who it might be. He took in the pretty blonde woman walking over to them, “Henry, this is Emma Swan.”

“Hey, Henry,” Emma greeted, smiling shyly. “Nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Really?” Henry’s eyes darted from Emma to his mom and then back. “Emma?”

“Yup.”

“The magic worked?” Wonder filled his voice as he stared at Emma as if she was doing magic just by being present.

“Yeah,” Emma replied with a smile. “And now I’m here to hang out with you and your mom.”

Henry’s expression grew serious as he remembered all the times Emma visited before having to go back home, “For how long?”

“However long you want, kid.” Emma reassured him. He smiled widely at the news and thrust his diorama at Regina before flinging himself into Emma’s arms.

“Whoa!” Emma said with a laugh, relieved Regina had been right as she tightened her arms around the boy.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said into her stomach.

Emma couldn’t help but laugh as she ruffled his hair with one hand and kept the other around him, returning the hug. Her eyes met Regina’s sparkling brown ones, “I’m glad I’m here too.”

-/-

**Bonus 2: Job**

Emma walked into the building cautiously, “Hello? I’m looking for Sheriff Fa?”

An Asian woman, the one Emma remembered seeing at that meeting, came out of the side office. Her face was mildly curious as she took stock of Emma. Emma immediately recognized a fellow soldier and found herself already liking the other woman. Regina had said she would; didn’t that woman ever get tired of being right all the time?

“Hello,” the other woman greeted. “I am Sheriff Mulan Fa. How may I assist you?”

“Hi, my name’s Emma Swan. I just moved to town.” The women exchanged a firm handshake. “My, er, girlfriend told me you were looking to hire a deputy. I was hoping to apply for the job.”

Mulan’s eyebrow rose, curious as to how someone who just moved here already had a girlfriend here. “I am looking to hire. Do you have a resume?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she fumbled slightly before pulling one out of the leather folder Regina had given her. “Here you go.” As Mulan took the offered document, Emma kept talking. “I’ve never done much in the way of local law enforcement, but I spent time in the army and as a bail bondsperson. This seemed the closest fit for those skills in a town like this.”

Mulan took in the qualifications, which did not have any police training per say, but neither did anyone else in town. “What caused you to move from a big city to a town like this? All your experience leaves you more suited to your own line of work in a place like that.” She had no desire to take on a deputy only to have her leave a few months later as Emma’s work history seemed to suggest was common for her.

Emma shrugged, “I’m tired of that kind of life. I want to stop moving and settle down. Main reason for here and now though is the girlfriend I previously mentioned. She and the kid aren’t going anywhere so I knew I had to come here. I don’t plan on leaving any time soon—with or without this job—unless she kicks me out of town, of course.”

“I didn’t know the mayor had a girlfriend,” Mulan said bluntly.

Emma smirked, “It’s complicated, or it was.” She gave another shrug. “Simple enough now. We’re together.”

Mulan noticed another thing that corroborated Emma’s story: the address she had listed was the same as the mayor’s.

Well, then.

Normally, she didn’t put any stock in rumors, especially not in this town, as everything was always blown out of proportion. She’d figured the story of some badass chick from out of town making out with the mayor outside the diner and going home with her fell firmly in that category. It seemed she was wrong—although she didn’t see a motorcycle nor did Emma have visible piercings and/or lots of tattoos.

“Why don’t you come into my office?” Mulan offered. “You’re the strongest candidate we have so far; no one else has anything that remotely qualifies them for the job and I respect the mayor’s judgment. I have some questionnaires and tests for you to fill out if you’re serious about the job.”

“Lead the way.”

**Bonus 3: Kathryn**

Regina was working single-mindedly, wanting to get through all her work and be home at a reasonable hour—especially now that she had so much to come home to.

Therefore when just as she was finishing reading the last report from the Parks and Rec department, the door swung open to hit the wall with a loud bang, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Regina,” the blonde woman announced as she strode into the room and shut the door behind her, “You’ve got some ‘splaining to do.”

“Kathryn,” Regina said as she tried to get her heart rate under control. “Could you please attempt to refrain from giving me a heart attack before I hit forty?”

“I don’t know if I should after what I heard today.”

Regina’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Ruby told me that there’s some hot new woman in town.” Regina froze. “And more than that, but that you know her and, in fact, spent most of Friday and the weekend together, hopefully, not leaving your bed.”

Regina scowled, “Don’t be silly.” Kathryn took in the serious expression on her face and frowned. Could Ruby have been wrong? “I have a child I spent most of the weekend with,” she gave Kathryn a severe look, implying she should know better. Kathryn began to look sheepish.

“However, I certainly will not deny that I went to bed earlier than usual these past few days—and that I was not alone when I did so,” she finished with a very self-satisfied smirk.

Kathryn’s mouth dropped open and then she glared at her friend. “You know, I figured once you got laid, you’d stop being so evil.”

“Nonsense,” Regina said, moving all her papers into the correct folders. “The two are completely unrelated. I can easily be both evil and sexually satisfied.”

Kathryn couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright. Come on, tell me what’s going on. I am rather offended you didn’t mention you were seeing someone.”

Regina stopped herself from making an inside joke that would likely confuse her friend about the phrase ‘seeing someone’ and simply smiled at her, “There wasn’t anything to tell until Friday.”

Kathryn scoffed, “Oh, yeah, I’m sure. Nothing at all. You always hook up with random hot strangers that show up to town with there being no history between you. Come on, Ruby told me that you guys knew each already. Said the other chick asked if you missed her.”

Regina rolled her eyes, “Well, if Ruby knows so much, perhaps you should go ask her for the story.”

Kathryn frowned, “You’re being more ambiguous and difficult than usual. This is a big deal, isn’t it?”

Regina was caught off guard by Kathryn’s sudden seriousness. “Yes, I suppose it is. Her name is Emma Swan. She and I have been corresponding for months, but she was stuck where she was for a number of reasons—”

“Wait,” Kathryn asked with the tone of dawning realization. “Was she the reason you basically had a Bluetooth surgically attached to your ear for all those weeks?”

Regina suppressed a blush, “More or less, yes. Anyway, I lost touch with her about two weeks ago due to circumstances beyond her control,” Regina resisted the urge to name the exact number of days it had been as she knew Kathryn would pounce on that fact, “and it was right after she’d mentioned she was going to try to, to visit. I wasn’t sure if she really meant she would or even could, but she did. And now she’s here.”

“For how long?” Kathryn asked, clearly trying to keep up with story

“Indefinitely.” Regina replied immediately, before amending, “As long as she wants.”

“And, what? She’s moved in with you?” Kathryn suggested, a teasing smile forming on her lips.

“Yes,” Regina nodded decisively.

Kathryn nearly choked, “Wait, seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.” Regina wasn’t usually the type to jump into a serious relationship so quickly. Kathryn really needed to meet this woman. “Talk about U-Haul.”

“Kathryn!” Regina protested.

“What? This is a whole new side of you,” Kathryn grinned. “Taking up with strange women—hell, I thought you were straight.”

Regina scoffed, “Please. I told you all about my affair with my grad teacher’s assistant, didn’t I?”

“The one you got all that personal tutoring from? Oh yeah,” she sighed wistfully. “At least one of us had fun at school.” Then the implications caught up with her, “Wait, Drake was a woman?”

“Mal, short for Mallory, Drake is a woman, yes,” Regina relied, amusement at her friend’s confusion.

Kathryn groaned at her own oversight. Truthfully, she had thought Regina was at the very least curious about more than guys, but she always thought she’d never gotten any proof from the other woman. It didn’t help that Regina never went on dates with anyone. “Now, I just feel stupid. How did I glaze over that?”

“Because you _are_ straight,” Regina said, with a raised brow and a smirk.

“Right. My bad,” Kathryn said sheepishly.

Regina waved her apology off. “It’s fine. I thought you hadn’t noticed and I never corrected you.”

“And she’s really moving in with you?”

Regina looked a little sheepish now, as if she hadn’t thought about how such a thing might appear to outsiders. “She already has.”

“Wow. And what does Henry think of all this?” Kathryn knew that he couldn’t be too upset, since then it never would have happened, but still…. Henry was used to it being just him and his mother.

“Oh, they’re fast friends,” Regina said, her smile growing fonder without her seeming to notice. “It helps that Miss Swan is still a child at heart.”

“Really?” Kathryn looked supremely unimpressed, as though she couldn’t believe even Regina would sink so low. “Did you just call your girlfriend “Miss Swan”?” Then she smirked wickedly and winked, “Kinky.”

Regina merely rolled her eyes. “The point is that Henry is quite taken with her and so is she with him.”

“That’s really great,” Kathryn said with sincerity, knowing how much that must mean to Regina since Henry was her whole world.

Regina grinned. “It really is. He’d spoken to her before, on the phone,” she added unnecessarily. “But I was worried that they might not click as well in person, but that worry was all for nothing. Henry didn’t want to go to school today because he wanted to spend time with her and she was on the verge of giving in to his puppy-dog eyes. They’re already plotting how to get desserts from me.”

Kathryn laughed, “You know, I take back what I said at the beginning, I _can_ tell something is different. You look happy, Regina. I’m glad.”

“As am I.”

“Regina, babe?” A voice came from outside the room, followed by a knock, interrupting the brief silence. A blonde head poked in, glancing around, “You ready to go?”

Kathryn’s eyes lit up and Regina sighed lightly. It only took Emma another second finish her sweep around the room and find the two women. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back later.”

“No need,” Regina said and waved her in. “You might as well come in.” Regina got up and began shutting down her laptop and gathering her things, seemingly taking Emma’s presence as the signal to leave. Kathryn tried to remember the last time Regina had just agreed to leave work on time for anything or anyone besides Henry. She couldn’t.

Kathryn sized up the lean, confident blonde woman who strode on in. The red leather jacket matched descriptions, although everyone had claimed it was a different color. She certainly was attractive, if not more casual than she would have thought Regina would have been drawn too. Then she remembered the brunette drunkenly describing her first love and he had been a stable hand at the place she rode horses, so maybe casual was Regina’s type.

“This is Emma Swan,” Regina introduced.

Kathryn smiled, “Hello. I’m—”

“Regina’s friend Kathryn,” Emma finished for her, having seen the blonde once or twice—always busy, but clearly different from the others Regina interacted with. She was glad she had asked about her and pleased Regina seemed to have at least one friend she clearly cared about and who cared for her as well. It was so nice to be able to talk to the other people in Regina’s life. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Kathryn shook the offered hand. She side-eyed Regina as she said, “I see Regina has mentioned me—that’s something at least. I sorry to say I can’t say she’s done the reverse though.”

Emma didn’t seem worried that Regina hadn’t mentioned her and laughed, “That’s just ‘cause Regina lacked faith in my follow-through. I’m sure she knows better now.”

Regina rolled her eyes as she walked around to the side of her desk the blondes were on to finish gathering all of her papers, “I’m sure I know you just as well as I did before.”

“Well, that’s definitely not true,” Emma corrected with a lascivious smirk.

Regina elbowed Emma in the side as she put the last few papers away, “Hush.”

“We still need to catch up,” Kathryn said as she followed Regina to the doors. Emma had already grabbed her coat and began helping the brunette into it without either of them needing to say anything. It was actually quite cute to see her normally solitary friend accept help so thoughtlessly.

“That we haven’t in so long is not my fault alone,” Regina pointed out. It was true, Kathryn had started getting rather serious with the guy she was dating and her online law classes started to intensify, so her time for anything else just got used up. Regina certainly didn’t begrudge her friend finding happiness both romantically and professionally, but Regina’s increase in work, and subsequent distraction by Emma, were more of a response than a cause. Kathryn nodded ruefully and Regina smiled, “Why don’t you and Jim come over on Friday? We can have dinner.”

“If you’re cooking, then he would kill me for not accepting,” Kathryn joked, knowing that everyone who worked at Henry’s school knew how good her friend’s cooking was from when she helped with bake sales and the like.

Emma laughed, “Then I like him already. Regina’s basically the best cook ever.”

Regina flushed lightly at the praise, but still warned, wagging a finger at her girlfriend, “Flattery will get you nowhere, Miss Swan.”

“Uh-huh,” Emma smirked knowingly.

“Stop undermining everything I say,” Regina said, smacking her shoulder lightly. “We’ll see you then, Kathryn.” She gave a farewell nod that Emma echoed before they turned to leave. “Have a good evening.”

“You too.” Kathryn said, bemused—the couple didn’t even seem to have heard her, they were so lost in each other, but Kathryn found she didn’t mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my artists, lrbcn.tumblr.com and mysweetcupoftea.tumblr.com for their amazing art. please go check both of them out--both for this story and all the other wonderful things they've created.
> 
> Another thank you to my beta, rubyloveslana.tumblr.com, who had the time to edit even though I asked way to close to the deadline.
> 
> I also had a lot of fun talking to other SQBB participants in the Chat--so fun to talk about SQ and writing.
> 
> And finally thanks to everyone who reads, leaves kudos, or leaves comments.


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